The New Adventures of Kiara and Selana
by Selana46
Summary: Starts out as an origional work, but characters like Nightcrawler and Kenshin are added in later! Chapter 14 is up. It's the story of two women and their inevitable fates...please R&R! If you peek, please review!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The origional characters in this fic belong to me and my cousin. (Eric and Sel are my characters, Kiara is Katie's character). Other characters, including Nightcrawler and Kenshin, are added in LATER. Any other origionals are mine. Thank you!

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The peace and quiet of the country draws many. Of course, it isn't completely quiet. The wind whistles a merry tune through the trees; the grass hums a sweet harmony. Calming, relaxing--and quiet, compared to the cities.

A large house stands atop a hill of about 10 acres of land. Judging by its design, it's old and very well built. The white paint on the sides is, however, quite new and bright amidst the greens and browns of the prairie. On the second floor, a balcony wraps around about a quarter of the house, appearing graceful but sturdy at the same time. French doors lead inside, and together with the bay windows of the first floor, a welcoming feeling resonates from this house in the middle of nowhere (to be more specific, somewhere in the Great Plains).

On the particular day this story begins, the balcony was not empty. A woman leaned against the solid wood railing, a smile on her face as she breathed in the fresh air.

Fresh out of college, Kiara was ambitious and determined. Although not yet running a veterinary clinic of her own, she somehow came into a large sum of money--just the right amount to fulfill her lifelong dream, in fact. She bought ten acres of cornfield from a farmer, who complained that the land wasn't producing anymore. Kiara just smiled at that and signed the deed to the land.

In building her dream house, she strove not to damage the field any more than necessary. She hadn't the money for landscaping, but she didn't want it. Nature would return at its own speed. Besides, the soil needed a good, long break. She didn't care that the land would look ugly for a while, for she knew it would look all the more beautiful if she waited.

And beautiful it did look. Prairie grass spread rapidly, hiding the dirt and dead cornstalks. Trees and shrubbery were slower to come, but they too were shooting up. Kiara had found the young plants here and there when she went out for her sunset walks.

Now, it was morning. The sun had already risen, and the wind with it. Kiara was dreaming about the future, when she would have pets here as well, when a quite odd sound rose up in the distance: The siren of a police car.

Kiara jumped, startled by the sudden noise. She stared out toward the east, where the sound seemed to be coming from--and there the offending car appeared, speeding down the gravel road towards her house.

That was when a helicopter crashed on her front lawn.

Later, the police questioned Kiara and informed her that the lawn was, until further notice, a crime scene. After they left, Kiara plopped down onto the couch and sat there for quite a long time, staring off into space. Her growling stomach alerted her to the realization that it was noon already.

In the middle of preparing lunch, the doorbell rang. Hoping this wouldn't take too long, Kiara left the stove and looked through a side window to see who was there.

It was a woman in her 20s. She was standing as close to the door and as far into the shadows as she could, her eyes darting around as if she were afraid of being seen.

Curiosity led Kiara to the door, although instinct told her something was wrong. But then again, humans were above instincts, so Kiara opened the door.

A charming smile lit on the woman's face, as if it was perfectly normal to come knocking at the door of a house 5 miles away from town--and without any visible vehicle in the driveway, Kiara noted. Nevertheless, Kiara smiled back at the woman, who said nonchalantly, "Hi, my name's Selana. Can I come in?"

Though the police had told her to call them if anyone came to her house, curiosity still had the best of her. She let the woman inside.

"My name is Kiara," she said politely, leading the woman into the living room. "Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, can I use a phone? My car broke down a few miles from here...I need to call my brother to come pick me up," Selana answered quickly.

Though something just didn't seem right about the woman's situation, Kiara gave her the phone and left the room. If anything got out of hand, she could use her cell phone to contact the police.

Kiara had just finished making lunch by the time Selana meandered into the kitchen. "Did you get a hold of him?" She asked, more to make conversation than anything else. Selana just nodded her head. Not a big talker, Kiara noted.

They sat across from each other at the table. Kiara said a quick prayer, and the feast began.

Kiara had made sunny-side-up eggs, bacon, and hash browns--the perfect breakfast, in her opinion. While Selana didn't speak too much, it was pretty obvious by the way she shoveled the food into her mouth that she approved of it.

Afterwards, Selana sat silently at the table while Kiara cleared off the table. Kiara wondered at her manners--she took huge bites when she ate (but maybe she was just really hungry), and now she didn't even volunteer to help with the dishes. Ah, well. Kiara opened the dishwasher to load it.

HONK! HOOOOOOOOONK!

That was definitely not a goose. Selana jumped up. "That's him. Well, thanks for the food," she tossed back over her shoulder as she headed for the front door.

Kiara hurried after her to see her off. She caught up with her at the door as Selana turned the doorknob.

A red Mercedes sat in the driveway, the motor purring. "Well, goodb--" Kiara began, but was cut off by a shout.

"FREEZE!"

Several policemen ran toward the driveway, guns aimed at the Mercedes and Selana. Selana grabbed Kiara with one arm, the other pulling out a gun. "Don't come any closer!"

The police froze, guns now trained on Kiara.

"Good. Now drop your weapons."

Like trained dogs, the policemen dropped their guns.

"Ok. I'll be leaving now. You try anything, she dies," Selana said with a smirk, edging over to the car. A man inside opened the passenger door. Selana, keeping Kiara between her and the police, slid into the car and jerked Kiara after her. She slammed the door shut and shouted, "GO!"

Kiara's head hit the headrest as the man slammed on the gas, driving right across the lawn and onto the road.

At first no one in the Mercedes spoke. Kiara was too afraid for her life to say anything, and words weren't needed between the two criminals. From the way they shot glances and glares at one another, Kiara assumed that they weren't very close.

"Eric, they're gaining on us. We have nowhere to go," Selana said matter-of-factly, looking out the back window.

Eric glanced at Selana, and this time Kiara finally got a good look at his eyes. They were a deep ocean-blue color. Kiara would have found him handsome if he wasn't one of her captors. "Don't worry, sister, I already planned this. I'm always prepared for you to make a mistake," he said calmly. He took a sharp turn once they got into the city, and Kiara recognized where they were. Ahead of them was a tunnel that Kiara knew branched out into almost 10 different roads.

Eric glanced in her direction and glared at her. "Blindfold your hostage, Sel. We can't have her knowing where we're going."

Selana quickly followed his orders, but Kiara already knew what they were planning. In the tunnel Eric probably had identical cars waiting, and once they entered the tunnel, the police wouldn't have any idea which car they were chasing. And there weren't nearly enough police cars to track them all.


	2. Chapter 2

After about an hour or so of driving, Eric stopped the car and glanced over at Selana and her hostage. "Put her in the back," he said tersely.

Selana glared at him. "Why can't you?"

Eric rolled his eyes. "Don't ask questions. Just do it."

Selana's eyes burned a hole through Eric as she opened the door and pushed Kiara out. "Move it. And don't try to make this harder than it is," she said, jerking Kiara's arms behind her back and propelling her toward the trunk.

Kiara obeyed, but only because it seemed the only logical choice. Even if these people were criminals, she hadn't seen them kill anyone yet. If she was lucky, she could still find a way out of this.

Eric popped the trunk and Selana gave Kiara the use of her arms. "Get in." Kiara did so as she heard Selana pull something out that something out that sounded like rope. Then Selana pulled her arms back behind her and tied and wrists and ankles together, much like a cowboy would tie a calf's legs. Then the trunk was slammed shut and all was silent.

"Did you get the disc?" Eric asked once they had gotten back in the car.

"Yes." Selana reached into a pocket and took out a small disc in a clear case. "Nothing went wrong. They won't know it's gone."

Eric snatched the disc away and glared at her as he started the Mercedes. "If nothing had gone wrong, the police wouldn't be after us and there wouldn't be a woman in the trunk of my car." He slammed on the gas angrily.

Selana sighed impatiently. "It wasn't my fault. The security guard saw me as I flew off with the helicopter I didn't know how to fly. All that matters is that we have the disc, right?"

Kiara strained to hear Eric and Selana's conversation, but the back seats blurred their words together. She tried to undo the knots, but met disappointment there as well. She wondered if Selana had learned to tie knots in Girl Scouts or something.

She pictured them in her mind. Eric, with his blond hair and blue eyes, seemed to be the more logical one, the thinker. Selana, with her short black hair and green eyes, was probably just ordered around by Eric all the time. They seemed complete opposites in everything except eye color--both of them had bright, jewel-like eyes.

Now she wondered what she had been thinking, letting Selana into her house like that! "Humans are above instincts," she'd thought. Right. She now saw how false that was. She'd invited a criminal into her home, fed her lunch, and then been taken hostage. If she had more room to move, she would've banged her head against the side of the trunk. She was still an idiot, even after eight years of college!

It seemed like they drove for hours, and perhaps they did. Kiara slipped in and out of sleep, which was as dark as consciousness. In both, her mind busily flicked from anger to scheming to regret to despair. After a while, she realized that the air in the trunk was getting stuffy; her clothes were sticking to her back. Unable to sleep, she let her thoughts run wild while she stared straight ahead, as if she could see through the cloth over her eyes. Her other senses relaxed and stretched to their fullest.

She was keenly aware of the moment when the car stopped moving.

As they came into the more deserted part of town, Eric turned to her. "Once we get home, I want you to take the disc and go inside," he said, handing the disc to her. "I'll deal with the hostage. I can't take any more mistakes from you."

"Fine," Selana answered softly. She wasn't in the mood for another argument just yet. They stayed silent after that until Eric parked in the garage.

"Anything you know about her that might be useful?" he asked.

Selana shrugged. "Her name's Kiara, she seems pretty rich…don't know anything else."

"If you're keeping anything from me…"

Noting his threatening tone, Selana put her hand on the door handle to indicate she wanted to leave. "I'm not."

Eric grabbed her arm tightly. "You could be sent to jail for this, Selana. You wouldn't last a day. You're nothing without me." He released his grip and opened the door. "Now, anything else?"

Selana shook her head slowly and quickly got out. At least she could be away from him for now…

Kiara heard another quick argument before both car doors were opened and slammed shut again. Eric and Selana's not seeing eye-to-eye could definitely work in her favor, if she could pull the right strings and push the right buttons without outside help.

Lying in that cramped trunk, hearing a key turning in the lock, Kiara suddenly wished she could shower or something--she'd always hated looking bad in front of people.

The trunk popped open and rough hands untied her ankles, in the process freeing her wrists. Before she could use this opportunity, however, Eric grabbed her wrists and tied them again, tighter than before. He half pulled, half carried her out of the trunk, setting her on her feet. Her cramped legs protested and she nearly fell, but she wouldn't show weakness in front of him.

One hand still gripping the woman's arm, Eric used the other to slam the trunk closed. He led her--what was her name again? Kiara?--out into a dimly lit alley. He'd never dealt with hostages before, but he'd planned long ago what he'd do with them.

A few blocks down, Eric pushed Kiara behind some trashcans. "Stay there. Don't move. Don't say anything." Since the tone he used now worked so well when threatening Sel, he guessed it'd work just as well with Kiara.

He walked down a little farther to a rusty metal door. He knocked three times, waited until the reply of two raps came, and then knocked four more times. The door swung open, a black man in jeans and an undershirt welcoming him with a growling "What?"

"I need a favor..."

Selana gratefully went inside the house, happy to be away from her brother for the time being. Their home was fairly small, but Selana didn't mind because Eric was gone most of the time anyway and with the exception of his room, the house was all hers. The outside of the house looked almost shabby; there hadn't been a new coat of paint on for almost 12 years now. There was a nice patio with a loveseat by the door, though it wasn't used at all. If there weren't a car parked in the driveway, it probably would have looked like an abandoned house.

But Selana didn't care much what people thought about the outside of the house. She only cared about what the inside looked like, and not to everyone else. The only thing that mattered to her was that being in her home could relax her, which is why she spent most of Eric and her stolen fortune on remodeling the inside of her home to make it perfectly relaxing for her. She didn't really care if Eric liked it; he only used the house to sleep in occasionally and do some work in his office.

Instead of relaxing, though, Selana went to her computer and put the disc in the hard drive. After typing in a few memorized passwords and entering a few codes, she took the disc out and set it on the desk where Eric would see it. Eric usually didn't care when she kept some of the stolen money for herself, and out of $10 million, $1 million didn't seem like that big of a loss.

Inside Joe's house, Eric continued, "Sel messed up again. I need you to hold onto a hostage for a while."

Joe shrugged. "It'll cost ya."

"Of course. We can settle the amount tomorrow. I'll be right back, then." Joe nodded, and Eric returned to the alley. Kiara was where he'd left her—not too surprising. She wouldn't have been able to get far anyway, blindfolded and without the use of her hands.

He pulled her up by the arm and steered her over to Joe's open back door. Joe whistled as Eric walked in, looking Kiara up and down. A bit of color touched her cheeks. Eric shot a glance at Joe before leading Kiara over to the basement. On the top step, he pulled off her blindfold and left, locking the door. She didn't really need to be tied up, anyway.

"And how long will I be holding onto her?" Joe asked, smirking.

"I don't know yet, but I don't want you messing around with her," he replied, staring Joe right in the eye. He wasn't exactly a gentleman when it came to women.

"That'll cost extra. An' I want something' up front." The only thing he liked more than women was money, if only to buy a prostitute every now and then.

Sitting on the top step, head leaned back against the door; Kiara listened to the rustle of money. "There'll be more tomorrow," Eric said. Then the sound of footsteps leading away, back to the alley, and a door opened and closed.

If she'd felt uncomfortable being led around blindfolded, she felt doubly so now. She was alone with a man who obviously thought of women as little more then toys. Oh, joy. The day could hardly get any worse for her.

She sat there for a few minutes, listening to Joe's footsteps. He went upstairs for a while, and then, when he came back to the main floor, she tensed as his footsteps came closer. Then the door behind her opened and he jerked her up by the arm, propelling her down into the dark basement. He flicked on a switch at the bottom, and a dusty light bulb reluctantly sputtered to life.

He obviously didn't use the basement much. It consisted of one room, concrete from the floor to the ceiling. A water heater and heating/cooling system sat in shadows at the back wall, collecting dust. A few boxes partially filled the space under the stairs. Joe took her to the back wall.

In his unoccupied hand, Joe held a set of handcuffs. He hung them over a pipe, freeing his hands to turn Kiara around and untie her wrists. Then he spun her around again and pushed her back against the wall—judging by the look on his face, he'd done this before. Pulling her arms up over her head, his body uncomfortably close to hers, he slapped the handcuffs on her and stepped back. She looked away from him, towards the floor, and let her breath out—she hadn't noticed before that she was holding it. When his fingers touched her face she flinched and tensed again.

He lifted her face up, forcing her to look at him, his thumb rubbing her cheek. "I'm wondering' if Eric paid me enough for this…" If looks could've killed, he would've been reduced to a pile of ashes by Kiara's glare. Instead, he just laughed. "Yer a feisty one," and he laughed again, his thumb brushing auburn hair back behind her ears. Then he let go and walked away, towards the stairs. "You better hope he pays me on time tomorrow," he said, grinning, before turning the light off and heading upstairs.

Shaking, Kiara prayed that he did.

Though she tried to relax, Selana couldn't keep Kiara out of her mind. Kiara must have been one of the only people who'd ever been nice to her, and how did she repay her? By kidnapping her and letting her brother do whatever he wanted with her. The thought slowly ate away at her conscious the rest of the night.

By the time it started to grow light outside, Selana had thought up the perfect way to rid her of her guilty feeling. She hadn't slept at all in the night, but with a few more cappuccinos she'd be fine.

Once it was around 10:00 a.m., Selana wrote a carefully planned note to Eric, which read:

"_Dear Eric, _

_I have decided that, because it was my foolishness that brought the burden of a hostage upon us, it is my responsibility to get rid of her on my own. Any money that she might have we could easily steal out of her bank account, or raid her house to see if there's any hidden there. I will be paying Joe $1,000 for his trouble, and will take Kiara to a place where I can easily dispose of the body._

_Selana"_

With that out of the way, Selana quietly stole Eric's keys, left the house, and drove to the front of Joe's house.

The basement door opened sometime late in the morning. Kiara braced herself for another encounter with Joe, but the footsteps coming down the stairs were lighter than his. It was Selana who flicked on the failing light bulb.

For a minute, she just stood there looking around at the dusty basement, as if she didn't know what to say or do. Then she walked over to where Kiara was handcuffed, the key to those in her hand. "I...um...sorry...about all this," she said quickly, unlocking the cuffs.

"So am I," Kiara muttered under her breath, stepping away from Sel. "So what happens now?"

"...What d'ya mean?" Sel asked, tossing cuffs and key against a wall.

Kiara shrugged. "...Eric didn't send you here, did he?"

"Well...no. I just...told him I was going to get rid of you somehow...but...erm..." Now it was her turn to shrug. "Just...let's go."

Kiara nodded, not really caring what Sel had planned now. It was obvious that her conscience--however small that might be--had been eating at her.

"I'm going to have to tie you up again to make this look convincing," Selana said slowly, untying a length of rope at her side. Kiara only nodded again, though she had a suspicious look on her face this time. Selana loosely tied Kiara's wrists together behind her back, and then started up the stairs with her.

At the top, Joe was waiting patiently. "You sure you want to leave so quickly, Sweet Pea? You could spend the night or something'."

Selana threw a glare at him, but bit her tongue and quietly left the house with Kiara. She was rough with Kiara as they got to the car, just in case Eric was looking, and quickly drove away.


	3. Chapter 3

They didn't get far before Kiara asked, "Can you stop at a gas station?"

Sel glanced over at her. "...Why? Eric might know something's up, ya know."

Kiara nodded emphatically. "Yeah, yeah, I know all that, but I haven't gone to the bathroom since yesterday morning! This is an emergency!"

Sel's eyes widened. "How can you hold it in for that _long_?"

Needless to say, the two made a short pit stop. Unfortunately, women seem to be unable to leave a place where things (especially junk food) are sold without buying something first. Selana and Kiara are no exceptions to this law of nature. They left with a dozen donuts, Fritos, Pringles, Doritos, Cheetohs, Hershey's candy bars galore, a few packages of cookies, a twenty-four pack of Mountain Dew for Sel, and a chocolate Nesquik for Kiara (after all, as Sel put it, they didn't know how long they'd be on the road). As if that weren't enough, they also bought a newspaper and stopped to eat at McDonalds.

"Haven't you ever bought something before?" Kiara asked Sel over brunch.

"...Well...no... It's ok, I guess, but I hate to fork over all that green stuff," Sel admitted.

"You could use checks. Or a debit card."

Sel stared at Kiara in amazement. "Me? Keep my money in a bank? Utilize a bank's services? I've never walked into a bank without robbing it!"

Back on the road, Kiara finished the Funnies and, out of boredom, scanned over the rest of the newspaper. Then she sat bolt upright, her full attention focused on the words in front of her. "Hey, Sel, turn the music down."

Sel complied, although reluctantly, for the song that was playing was one of her favorites. "There isn't anything about me in there, is there?"

Kiara nodded, and then shrugged. "Sort of. But apparently the police think I'm working with you and Eric."

Sel, who had been taking a drink of Mountain Dew, made a sort of choking sound and came close to spewing the Dew all over. "..._What_?"

Kiara shrugged and read further into the article. "They found stuff in my house that linked me to you guys..."

Sel grabbed the newspaper from her and looked at it herself. "I can't believe it...and I look so bad in that picture they've got of me!"

Kiara was only half listening. "Somebody must've planted that evidence there...and it would've been this morning, too, because previously I had no other link to you--Sel, watch the road!"

Sel looked up just in time to dodge a passing semi. "Darn crazy drivers," she muttered under her breath. After she'd cooled down sufficiently, she glanced at the rearview mirror. "...Is it just me, or has that car been right behind us since we left Mickey-D's?"

Kiara turned in her seat and looked out the back window. "You're right; it has been. Come to think of it, wasn't that same car parked next to us? It's a shame I didn't think to look at who was inside…"

Selana looked into the rearview mirror again and a smirk slowly played across her face. "Don't worry. I know how to handle this. I'll stop at the next gas station and deal with this guy. But I want you to go inside; this could be a little dangerous."

Kiara, slightly confused, nodded and turned back around, though she checked the rearview mirror every two seconds or so for her own security.

After a few short minutes, they pulled into a gas station, and Kiara quickly got out. She stayed by the door so she could still see the car; she still didn't fully trust Selana, and she wanted to make sure that Sel didn't leave.

Selana waited in the car patiently until she saw the blue Mustang pull up beside her. In a few seconds a man stepped out of the car. He was tall, dark, and handsome. Well, at least according to Selana. By all accounts, he _was_ tall, with a medium build; broad shoulders, built but toned muscles, the works. His tight black t-shirt accentuated his abdominal and pectoral muscles flawlessly, catching every ripple and undulation as he walked around toward the passenger's side of Selana's car. His t-shirt coupled with the fading denim jeans complemented his jet black hair and ocean blue eyes perfectly, and his dark complexion drew the eyes of every girl at the gas station.

Finally he slipped into the seat beside her, closing the door and giving Sel a quick grin. Selana averted her eyes, choosing to stare at the steering wheel instead of at him. After a few short moments of silence, she finally asked him, "Why were you following us?"

He smiled. "After all this time, I don't even deserve a 'hello'?" he said lightly, leaning closer.

She looked up and smiled at him. "Just answer my question, Nick, so I can get out of here," she answered sweetly.

He sighed. "All right. I was following you so I could see you again, and I planted evidence in Kiara's house so the kidnapping wasn't such a huge thing. Now do I get a kiss for helping?"

"_You_ planted the false evidence in Kiara's house?"

"Yes. It was to help you out, you know…"

Selana nodded. "I know…but you'd better not tell her that; she's coming out here right now."

Kiara was probably the only girl in the gas station who remained unimpressed by Nick's display of confidence. His was good enough to look at, sure, but put him in an environment that required just a tiny bit of brainpower and he'd fall far in her eyes. She didn't need to actually meet him to know that. He was just like so many others—all brawn and no brains, as the saying went.

This was why she didn't even glance at him when he flashed her a cocky smile. He was nothing more than a pretty boy, a troublemaker, and currently she didn't need any more trouble than what she already had. Sel slid out of the car and met her by the gas pumps. "He's my boyfriend," she said quickly before Kiara could ask.

"How is that relevant to me?"

Thinking that perhaps Kiara was trying to hide a crush on Nick, Sel tried joking with her. "I just don't want you trying anything with him, that's all." There were no dancing sparks of laughter in Kiara's eyes to match those in Sel's, which quickly died down. "He can probably find us a place to stay for a little while," Sel continued in a more serious tone.

Kiara declined to ask why he had been following them, though her mind had already concocted several answers to that question. "I don't suppose he'll just be leaving his car here," she said in a chill voice.

"No, I suppose not. He'll follow us for a while until we get to the next city."

The rest of the trip stayed silent, for the most part. Selana felt like she should say something more about how Nick had planted evidence in her house, but she didn't want him to be angry with her once they talked again, so she kept her mouth shut. The silence was killing her, though, and she thought she made that very clear by constantly glancing at Kiara, but either Kiara didn't care or she didn't get it. But no matter what, Selana didn't want to have to be the one to break the silence. She prayed the trip wouldn't take too long.

Fortunately, the trip was a short one. Though Selana knew where Nick's house was (she'd been there numerous times), she took a side-trip to a hotel. She thought it was better if they were seen at one; in case Eric came here looking for them, he might think that they were staying for a few nights in a hotel.

Kiara stayed quiet the whole time. Even while Selana complained to the hotel clerk that their prices were too high and that she'd have to go to a cheaper hotel, Kiara seemed bored. Selana wondered if she was angry with her for having a boyfriend. But why would she be? She wasn't jealous, was she?

Kiara watched Sel in a detached sort of way, her mind wandering easily. Finally she walked up next to Sel and pulled out her checkbook. "How much?"

The two took what little they had up to their hotel room, #206. Sel didn't question Kiara about her long silence or her sudden willingness to pay for their room, although curiosity ate at her brain. Kiara flopped down onto the bed nearest the window, staring off into space. Uncomfortable around somebody who neither spoke a lot nor blamed everything on her, Sel sat at the foot of the other bed and flicked on the TV.

"We're not going to just stay in here for a week or whatever, I hope?"

Sel jumped nearly a foot into the air. Kiara laughed as Sel tried vainly to deny that she'd been startled, "I…um…I just…really tense…too much energy…"

"I love doing that to people," Kiara cut in, her slate gray eyes suddenly alive as could be. "You should've seen yourself! You looked so hilarious!" Then both were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

A more comfortable, much shorter silence followed their recovery. Finally Sel broke it, "I'm bored…"

At first Kiara didn't answer, but after a few moments of short silence she answered, "Well, I'm sure you have a lot of 'catching up' to do with your boyfriend."

Selana couldn't help but notice the sarcastic tone in Kiara's voice. _She must really be jealous_, Selana thought. Even so, she reached for the phone. She hadn't seen Nick in months; it would be nice to talk to him again. And maybe they could order a pizza, too. She hadn't eaten since she was at Kiara's house.

After she had hung up, it dawned on Selana that she didn't even ask if it was all right with Kiara that Nick came over. Though she was the one who suggested it, she _did_ say it pretty sarcastically. Sel was pretty sure that she and Nick would get pretty intimate, and she still didn't trust Kiara enough to ask her to leave the room. And even if Kiara had no intentions of leaving, Eric could have followed them.

"Um...what are you going to do? While Nick's over, I mean?" Selana asked tentatively.

Kiara shrugged. "I might go out for a while. I've got a few things to take care of...maybe go shopping or something..."

"But what if Eric followed us? Or somebody recognizes you from the newspaper? You could just stay here."

Kiara let out a little laugh. "And what, watch you and Nick make out or whatever? I'll be fine." She stood up with a finality to match her next words, "When should I be back?"

'Uh oh...' Sel thought. 'What now?'

"I'll call Nick back and tell him not to come," Selana said slowly, reaching for the phone as she spoke.

"No, don't bother. I don't want to get in the way," Katie answered calmly. Selana couldn't help but wonder if Katie actually _wanted_ to get away from her. She obviously didn't understand how much of a threat Eric was.

"I've got a better idea," Selana said lightly, trying to hide her sudden nervousness. "How 'bout Nick takes us out to eat? I'm starving."

Kiara sat in the back seat of Nick's car, wishing there was some way she could get out of this. Sel sat up front with Nick, who hadn't told them where he'd be taking them. During the fifteen-minute drive, Kiara noted that most of Nick's talk centered on himself.

"Ooh! Italian! How did you know I wanted Italian?" squealed Sel as Nick pulled into a parking lot. 'Just like a school girl,' Kiara thought. 'But then again, you've acted that way before, so just shut up.'

"Lucky guess," smiled Nick, leaning over to place a quick kiss on Sel's lips.

Nick held the door open for them as they entered the restaurant called Carrabba's. An unsettling feeling rose in Kiara's stomach as she observed Nick giving the same cocky, 'you're my girl' kind of look to her that he gave to Sel. It would appear that her first impressions of him were correct. She felt even guiltier when she noticed Nick looking at her when Sel wasn't looking. Sel was completely oblivious to who Nick really was...and if she tried talking to her about this, Sel would just think she was jealous. Her leg started hurting as she imagined how Sel would feel when she found out...

When they were shown their seats, Kiara made sure to sit across from Nick and Selana. The hostess gave them menus and told them that their waitress would be there shortly.

Carrabba's was definitely meant to be a romantic restaurant. The lights were dim, giving the room a candlelit feeling. All the seating had plush, dark red cushioning. On the center of every table sat a vase with a few plastic roses that seemed almost real in the dim lights.

Not too long after they had been seated, their waitress arrived. She was small, with delicate features like that of a porcelain doll. She had chocolate-brown curls that bounced cheerfully as she walked. She wore a short-sleeved, low-cut black blouse and a short black skirt. Her nametag revealed her as Tina.

"Hi, my name's Tina and I'll be your waitress tonight," she said happily as she set down a glass of ice water for each of them. She took out a notepad and a pen. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"We'll have Forest Glen Forest Fire White Merlot," Nick answered without a second thought. He put an arm around Selana and pulled her closer. "I know that's your favorite wine."

Kiara rolled her eyes. She had seen the way Nick scanned over Tina like he had to her when they'd first met. She was starting to get fed up with Nick, but she didn't want to ruin Selana's night.

The night went on; the waitress came back with the wine and they ordered their meals. Nick and Selana talked a lot, but Kiara mostly listened. Obviously the couple had been dating since High school; Kiara wondered if Nick had been sleeping around since the start of their relationship.

Finally the waitress came with their meals. As she set down their plates, Kiara noticed Nick looking straight down her blouse. Now _that_ was the last straw. Kiara stood up. "Can I speak to you a moment in private, Sel?"

Selana gave her a confused look. "But our food just got here."

"It can wait." Kiara glared at Nick, and went to the bathroom, assuming Sel would follow her.

Kiara heard the bathroom door close behind Sel and launched right into it before Sel could say anything. "I don't know if he's cheating on you, but he's sure thinking about it. Did you see him looking at that waitress? I swear he looked straight down her shirt. And when we were coming in here he was looking me over, if you know what I mean. And--"

"Do you think this is funny or something, ruining a perfectly good date with trying to make me think he's up to no good?" Angry smoke clouded Sel's eyes. "I knew you were jealous, but this is really low."

Uh oh. This was exactly what Kiara was afraid would happen. She forced herself to calm down. "I was trying to wait to talk to you about him, but now I doubt you would've listened even then. I'm not trying to get you to break up with him, just watch him. That's all."

Sel didn't look convinced, and as she turned to leave, Kiara could've sworn she heard Sel curse her.

That didn't go over so well.

Selana went back to the table in a contained rage. She slid into the booth next to Nick, hardly even noticing he was there. Kiara had nerve to say what she had said. She'd known her for hardly a day and already she was trying to steal her boyfriend, whom she'd just met hours ago.

Nick would never cheat on her. They'd known each other since Elementary school, and had been dating since High school. Of course, she'd dropped out (Eric's orders) and she and Nick lost touch for a few months, but they got back together as soon as possible. Anyways, Nick had made his intentions clear long ago: he wanted to marry her, but it just wasn't possible with Eric around. He couldn't _possibly_ be interested in other girls.

A light hand on her thigh shook her from her thoughts. "Are you all right, honey? Your food's getting cold," Nick said softly.

Kiara had come back, and now she was looking at Selana expectantly, as if she hoped she would say something to Nick about what happened in the bathroom. Selana pushed her plate away, and said coldly, "I'm not hungry anymore." With that, she stood up and left the restaurant.

Kiara got up and followed her; Nick stayed behind long enough to pay the bill (and possibly flirt with the waitress, judging by the way they were talking to each other when Kiara looked back). She lagged back when nearing Nick's car, however; she doubted Sel really wanted to see her right then.

Nick unlocked the car and drove them back to the hotel, where Kiara went on ahead to the room while Sel and Nick stayed back for a while--to talk, or kiss, or whatever it was that they did in about 15 minutes. Taking advantage of this extra time, Kiara went into her room's bathroom, locked the door, and sat on the toilet staring into space. She finally pulled out her wallet and the picture therein. Just one short glance at the four words scrawled almost illegibly on the back, and then she firmly shoved memories and the picture back into their places.

The door slammed as Sel entered the room. Kiara decided that now would be a great time for a nice, long, hot bath--the longer she could avoid Sel, the better.

Selana started to get out of the car, but Nick held her back. "Selana, is everything all right?"

"Yes," she lied quickly. She didn't mind lying to Nick; the less he knew the better.

"Then what happened at the restaurant? What did Kiara say to you?"

"Nothing important." Selana averted her eyes and fingered the door handle nervously.

"Then why were you upset?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" Selana growled, suddenly very angry with him. "You don't need to know everything, Nick. Just lighten up on me, O.K.?" She got out of the car and stormed into the lobby, ignoring Nick's protests.

Once she got up to her room, some of her anger had worn away, but she was still in no mood to talk to Kiara. She noticed that the bathroom door was closed. Good, she wouldn't need to deal with Kiara right away.

Fighting the sudden urge to just pitch herself off the balcony, Selana sat down on her bed. What she was hoping would be a romantic night with Nick turned out to be a disaster. The person she was hoping to save was turning into her worst enemy.

When Kiara got out of the bathroom, Sel was already in bed. Good. Maybe she could get out of Sel's hair sooner than she'd hoped. Kiara reached for Sel's keys, but hesitated. She'd hate to steal Sel's car…instead she grabbed Sel's cell phone and scribbled down its number on a piece of paper she found—just in case she ever needed to contact Sel again.

She grabbed a bag of Fritos before leaving the room, leaving her room key next to Sel's. She walked out of the lobby, onto the sidewalk, and hailed a cab…all without a second thought. She needed to get home, and soon.

In a more deserted part of town, she told the cabbie to stop. He did, and when she got out to supposedly pay him, she reached in with a quick punch to knock him out. He was slightly overweight and hard to drag, but she did so anyway and climbed in the cab. Now she had to find the yellow brick road to the Wizard of Oz.

Selana woke up a few hours later, feeling very refreshed. Her mood had lightened, and she even planned on apologizing to Kiara for the way she'd acted earlier. Assuming that Kiara had just decided to go for a walk or something, Selana turned on the TV and waited. It was only a few minutes until she spotted both room keys next to the TV. Where Kiara had gone, she didn't plan on coming back.

Cursing, Selana grabbed her car keys and the few items she wanted to take with her and headed out of the hotel. Checkout didn't matter; the room had already been paid for.

She doubted that Kiara would go home; why go there if Eric could still be there? She decided she'd keep going to the next city. Either way, Selana was _not_ going home. If Kiara wanted to run into a death trap, then so be it. Sel assumed that Kiara would continue in the opposite direction to stay Eric. Even if she had returned home, if she gave away anything to Eric, Selana would already be on the road and it would be harder to find her. She'd probably have to abandon Eric's car, though. It was already risky to keep it this long. She'd just hijack another in the next city.

Before she drove out of the parking lot, the thought occurred to her that if she left now, Nick wouldn't know where she was. She dismissed the thought bitterly. Maybe Kiara had been right; Nick had just grown bored with her and was too much of a jerk to actually tell her it was over. No matter, perhaps she needed to move on, too.


	4. Chapter 4

Kevin was just an ordinary guy with an ordinary life. It wasn't always this way, but it was nice to settle down and get back to the real world, if only temporarily. He sometimes doubted that he'd ever meet his college friends, or anybody he knew before, again. But he wasn't thinking of them now. He was reading a new book from Barnes & Noble: "Dragons of a Fallen Sun". He was on page 76 when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he said, successfully keeping his annoyance out of his voice.

"Hey, Kev! Think we should have a reunion sometime? Anyway, I'm in a little fix and could use your help…" came the voice over the phone—Katie's voice.

"Um…what, exactly, would this require?" asked Kevin, struggling to overcome his surprise.

"Oh, nothing, really. Well, maybe not. But you won't leave me hanging here, will you?" Kevin cringed. She was putting on the voice that never failed to get what she wanted, and he was glad he couldn't see the puppy-dog-eyes that came with it.

He sighed in exaggerated reluctance. "I suppose."

"Great! Ok, I kind of stole this cab, and I need to get rid of it and stay somewhere for a while," she said, easily switching from begging to a brisk, down-to-business manner.

They went over the little details, and as Kevin hung up the phone, he noted wryly that she still had him wrapped around her finger.

Before she'd even gotten to the next town, Selana's cell phone started vibrating. She snatched it from the dashboard, ready to yell if it were Katie…and throw it out the window if it were Eric. She flipped it open and put it into her ear, greeting the caller with a harsh "Hello?"

"Chels? Chelsea?" the voice on the other end asked quizzically.

Selana's jaw dropped. She tried to say something, but her throat wouldn't let her. She tried closing the phone, but it seemed her fingers were frozen.

No one had called her 'Chels' or 'Chelsea' since high school. And only her _close_ friends called her that, and in private, at that. After she'd dropped high school to 'travel the world', she pretty much cut off all ties to her past, with the exceptions of Eric and Nick. She didn't return any of her friends' calls, and pretty soon they'd just stopped calling. She was shocked that someone still had her number, and furthermore, that she still had the same phone!

"Chelsea, are you there?" She recognized the voice, now. Kevin. The memories were still unclear, though…

"Yes?" she answered slowly.

"Good, you're there. I was wondering…are you in the area? Same state? Because I need some help with something…and I thought you would be perfect for the job." He said everything so calmly, like it had been only days since they'd last talked.

"What do you need?" She was surprised at her own calmness. While she listened, she sifted through her memories to try and identify him more. Kevin…he'd always been reading, and he was a computer whiz.

"Well, I got a call from an old college buddy, and since you always had a thing for mischief and danger, I figured you'd want to be in on this."

"In on what? Who called?" She was getting really confused now. She had no idea Kevin had gone to college (even though out of all of her high school friends, Kevin would have been the most likely to go), and something about him calling her up after years and years of staying away from these old high school friends made her suspicious.

"You wouldn't know her…her name is Katie."

"_Katie_?" She didn't mean to sound so surprised, but she found it ironic that the person she was looking for had the same name as a person Kevin wanted her to help.

"Yeah, do you know her? Anyways, are you in?" Kevin didn't sound so surprised.

"Sure…I'll be there in a few hours." Selana gave in quickly, not knowing what she was really getting into. She did a U-turn, since there were no other cars on the highway, and started speeding home.

After sinking the taxi in a river, Kevin drove Katie back to his house. She studied the outer appearance with a raised eyebrow. "It looks…normal," she commented incredulously.

Kevin nodded with a slight smile. "I don't want to draw attention to myself. C'mon, I'll give you a tour."

And the inside was normal, too. There was only one old computer in Kevin's bedroom, no huge TV and surround sound system in the living room, nothing high-tech in the basement. "Kevin…are you ok?" asked Katie, feeling his forehead for a temperature. "Maybe you should see a doctor," she remarked jokingly.

Kevin brushed her away, laughing lightly. "Just wait until you see this." He touched something that Katie didn't see, and a little keypad emerged from the wall. He punched in a code, part of the wall slid open…Katie stepped into the hidden room eagerly…

There was nothing special about it. It was just a plain living room with cushy couches and an inconspicuous lamp in the corner. "Kevin—"

Kevin grasped the lamp by the neck and twisted it.

The walls slid up, one by one, to reveal one huge computer on the far wall, smaller ones on the wall to Katie's left, and a mass of lab equipment to her right. Katie plopped down into a couch, managing to smile after a short shock. "I knew it! I knew you had stuff somewhere!"

Kevin smiled and sat down at the main computer, terminating the small machine that he'd placed inside the taxi. It had driven the car into the river and now…

"Boom. There isn't going to be anything left of that thing. I kind of feel sorry for the taxi driver, though." He got up and crossed over to the couch, sprawling across one end like a teenage boy. "I've got a friend coming to visit soon."

Katie forced her gaze from the lab to Kevin. "A friend? Is it somebody I know?"

"I don't think so. Anyway, she'll probably be here by this evening."

Selana was there earlier than expected. Kevin still lived in the same spot; she was surprised she even remembered that. The house looked very different, though. In high school, he'd convinced his parents to paint it in patterns and such, drawing a lot of attention to the house. Selana assumed that his parents had either passed away or given the house to him and moved away…or maybe Kevin didn't still live there. The house was a normal beige color. This was so unlike Kevin…

As she walked up to ring the doorbell, Selana silently vowed that she would make it her mission to kill Kevin if he didn't live here anymore. She rang the doorbell, and quickly noted the normal ring…she was getting more and more suspicious by the second.

She heard light footsteps going up stairs. At least THAT sounded like Kevin—always in the basement. The door swung open slowly, and there stood Kevin, just as she had remembered him. Sandy brown hair, chocolate brown eyes…not very muscular, but Selana knew he had a hidden strength.

"Chelsea," he said softly, careful not to say her real name too loudly, "come on in. You're early."

Selana stepped inside, already a little angry with Kevin for using her real name again. Kevin closed the door behind her quickly. She turned to him. "So, where's the elaborately hidden lab?" she asked after glancing around. "People like you don't change. Show me where it is."

Kevin laughed, grabbing her elbow and leading her to the stairs that descended into the basement. "Right down here, milady. I have to warn you about Katie, though. She's a lot like you. Now, I don't want you two fighting in my house, all right? She needs help, and you're here to help her. She gives the orders, not you. Got that?"

"No," Selana answered shortly. "If she really wants my help, she has to go by my terms. And I'm not going to agree to anything until I know what this is all about."

At that time, Kevin led her into the hidden room. He grasped the lamp and twisted it, revealing the lab. "Chels, meet Katie."

Selana could only stare at the woman sitting in a chair before her. After a few moments of gathering her thoughts, her stare turned into a cold glare. "You…"

Kiara quickly put down a beaker she had been studying. Its blue contents fizzed suspiciously. "I didn't break anything, I swear—" She stopped when she saw Selana. "Oh, um, hi. You…know Kevin?"

Kevin looked from one to the other and backed away slowly. "I'll be upstairs if you need me…"

"Ok," Kiara said absently, though she didn't really hear what he said. Sel didn't pay attention to him, period. She was about ready to boil over.

Kevin left in a hurry, but came back a moment later to add, "Don't break anything!"

"Why did you leave like that?" hissed Sel. "I was worried sick about you!"

"Whoa, hold up. You were worried about me? I thought you hated me!" replied Kiara, swinging into 'Attack' mode.

"I did! But then I didn't! But I'm getting darn near close to hating you again! What the heck are you doing here? How do you know Kevin? Why'd you come to him?" Sel fired off like a machine gun.

"We met in college, for your information, and I came here because he's my friend! How about you? Why are _you_ here?" Kiara felt a growing jealousy inside her. Maybe Kevin had dated Sel once, before Kiara even met him…or maybe Kevin had a crush on Sel…or maybe she had a crush on him…

"We met in high school before I dropped out! Now why the heck did you run off like that if you need my help?" Sel was also feeling a tiny bit jealous. Although neither girl realized it yet, both were actually fighting over Kevin.

"I didn't! I thought I was ruining your life! I need _Kevin_, not _you_!"

At that moment Kevin walked in with a box of Girl Scouts' thin mints. He hoped the chocolate would break up the fight, for now. And he breathed a sigh of relief when both girls sat on the couch, side-by-side, silently chewing the cookies.

For another half hour the girls stayed quiet as Kevin provided them with refreshments. It was the perfect way to break up a fight, but he knew he couldn't keep feeding them. Eventually they'd have to work everything out, but hopefully they'd do it calmly the second time around rather than flinging insults and accusations at each other.

Finally, Kevin stopped supplying refreshments, and the girls tensed visibly after Kevin stopped leaving the room. To himself, he guessed where the argument would go, and what he'd do if it got out of hand again. It looked as though both of them wanted to explode, but they stayed silent, neither wanting to break the silence.

At last, Selana spoke. "So, what do you need Kevin for, anyways?" She tried to keep her voice calm. She wanted to totally avoid talking about Kiara abandoning her at the hotel. It was better to just forget about it and go ahead with what was going on in the present, not dwell on the past.

"I'd like to discuss that with him first," Kiara replied, sort of hoping to start another fight, sort of hoping not to.

"Well, I'm part of this, too, so I want to hear what's going on," Sel said stonily. Kevin didn't know what to do, so he stayed where he was and waited.

There was silence for a long time. Finally, Kiara blurted out, "I need some cash."

Sel raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" Kiara, looking at her hands, didn't answer.

Kevin crossed his arms over his chest, his emotions carefully concealed. "I thought you were through with that, Katie."

Kiara tossed him a dark look. "Kiara. My name is _Kiara_. And I _was_ through with that, until the police started after me."

Sel could have winced at the look Kiara gave her, but she didn't. She was really, really confused now. "What the heck are you two talking about?"

"This is why I wanted to talk things over with Kevin first," Kiara hissed. "See, now I have to say everything at once without any style."

Kevin rolled his eyes at that. "There's no stylish way to admit you were a criminal, Katie."

"Kiara!" she thundered. "I was Katie when we were criminals, and if you'll recall, I changed my name after that!"

"You were a criminal?" Selana couldn't help but grin. And here, she thought that there was nothing exciting about this girl. Selana quickly realized that Eric had thought that Kiara had something hidden about her…maybe he had known more than he told her. Maybe that was why Kiara had run from her…

"If you needed money, you could have asked me," Selana said matter-of-factly. "I don't exactly have a perfect record, either. I have a lot of spare cash."

Kiara glared at her, but refrained from yelling at her. For now, anyway.

That night, Kiara and Sel didn't talk much. This wouldn't have bothered Kevin, as he was used to the quiet, except he knew that both were usually very talkative.

They started making plans, of course. Kiara decided on a bank robbery, just like last time. Kevin would break into the bank's security and make sure Kiara and Sel didn't show up on the cameras. Before they entered, Kevin would gas everybody in the place. All of them would wear gloves and masks, put their hair up, and keep all skin covered--they wouldn't leave a trace of evidence.

Sel joked that only a superhero could mess this up. Kiara rolled her eyes and replied matter-of-factly, "There's no such thing."

Privately, Sel was a little worried about her brother. Maybe there weren't any superheroes, but Eric sure could ruin everything. But, as the days went by, there was no word from Eric, and Sel gradually forgot about him.

Days turned to weeks, and Kiara and Selana seemed to start to sort out their problems with each other. Kevin knew that they were avoiding each other, but as the days passed they talked more and more.

One day, Selana retreated to one of Kevin's guest rooms (which was currently serving as her room) early in the morning after another successful bank robbery. She wasn't quite sure how much money Kiara really wanted, but if these robberies kept being a success, they'd be billionaires in no time.

After changing for bed, Selana was surprised to find that she had missed a call on her cell phone. She never took her cell phone with her when she, Kiara, and Kevin were doing…business, because it might interfere with the job. The callback number was foreign to her; only Kevin and Kiara called her, and that was only if one of them went out for something. There was a little something about the number that made her _want_ to call back, but she held herself back. It would probably just get her into trouble, and it was most likely just a wrong number or a telemarketer. She turned off her phone and went to sleep, completely forgetting about it.

That morning, Kiara couldn't get to sleep. Her mind was too active, the sun was shining too brightly, and her body wasn't too particularly tired. After the first couple robberies, this whole thing was a cinch. They could almost have a U-Haul come to get the cash.

Of course the police were on to them by this time. They were at each crime scene soon after Kiara, Kevin, and Sel left, and they were trying their best to figure out whom the robbers were and where they'd strike next, but this was in vain. The trio left no physical evidence, making the money appear to simply vanish, and chose random banks to rob at random times.

A few days later, they were at it again. The police were getting closer…and even though they still had no idea who (or how many people, for that matter) was behind all the robberies, they were getting to the scene faster and faster each time. By Selana's calculations, she, Kevin, and Katie would only leave the bank mere minutes before the cops showed up. She needed to throw them off somehow…she just didn't know how yet.

Kiara and Kevin were in the living room (in the basement, though, of course) preparing for the robbery. Sel didn't want to tell them about anything she had planned…it would almost be better if they never knew. Both looked up when she entered the room.

"I'm going to go out for a little bit…I'll meet you both at the bank." She said it as a statement, mostly to show that her decision couldn't be changed.

"How are you going to manage that? Walking around covered in all black isn't exactly normal," Kevin said jokingly, though Selana could tell that he was suspicious.

"I'll go out looking normal…I'll carry the other clothes in a bag and change later. Don't worry; I know what I'm doing. I can pull it off."

Kiara nodded, but glanced at Kevin. She was suspicious, too. "Just don't be late, and try not to attract attention." She said it as almost an afterthought, and got back to working.

Kevin and Katie finished the plans soon enough, and Katie plopped herself down on the sofa with a new book (bought with stolen money, no doubt). Kevin sat down beside her and waited until she was so deeply absorbed in the book that she would be distracted from the outside world and him.

"So," Kevin commented, pausing for a moment. Katie didn't react. The time was right.

"So," he repeated. "Here we are…alone…"

She still didn't respond—so far so good.

"We've been 'just friends' for a while now, haven't we?"

"What?" Katie muttered, not really listening.

"We're just friends, right?"

"Yeah," Katie mumbled.

"Friends…"

"Uh huh."

"…With benefits?"

"Yep."

Kevin grinned and planted a kiss on Katie's cheek. She promptly slapped him.

"What the heck are you _doing_?" she yelled, trying very hard not to blush but failing miserably.

"You said I could…" Kevin replied, pretending to be very hurt.

"I did not! I—hold on…you tricked me!"

This led to a wild chase around the basement, in which several beakers in the lab came near to breaking. By the time Sel returned, Katie and Kevin were sprawled across the couch, much out of breath. It was easy for Sel to get the wrong idea.

Selana froze once she got to the doorway. At first she was just shocked upon seeing Katie and Kevin laughing on the couch, panting for breath, but then her cheeks flushed, partially from anger, and partly from embarrassment for intruding. A million thoughts ran through her mind in a few seconds.

When they looked up at her, Katie instantly sprang up from the couch, frantically telling Selana some excuse that she wasn't even hearing…

Without a word, Selana glared at Katie and left the room, storming up to her room, slamming the door, and locking herself in.

She couldn't believe this. She'd left to throw off the cops, hoping to win Kevin's respect and attention, just to come home to he and Katie…doing who-knows-what.

A few moments later, Selana heard light knocking on the door. She ignored it; she knew it was Katie, still trying to tell her what her excuse was. And even if Sel did listen to her excuse, there was no way she was ever talking to Katie again. She figured if she just ignored the knocking, Katie and Kevin would eventually just leave her alone. Plans for revenge were already forming in her mind. Maybe, instead of throwing the police off like she'd planned, she'd lead them right to them…

Kiara, sitting on the couch again, blamed Kevin for all of this. If he'd just gotten over her a long time ago, nothing like this would've happened! She refused to admit to herself that she still had a crush on him.

Kevin went downstairs and, as he sat down on the other end of the couch, Kiara got up and went upstairs. He stared after her, wondering why she was mad at him. He hadn't done anything wrong, had he? They were just having fun, like in college; if Sel hadn't interrupted them, maybe Kiara would've gone out with him again!

As she went by Sel's room, Kiara stopped to knock. There was no response, and she started to say something, but she stopped. Sel wouldn't listen to her. Why should she?

They robbed the next bank on schedule, but there was none of the usual joking between them. None of them spoke at all. They all just did their work, and did it fast, and then they were driving off in a stolen car. As usual, they dropped it off about halfway home and switched to Kevin's nondescript, neither fancy nor junky car. Kevin was driving, and there was a bit of glaring done in deciding who should sit up front with him. In the end, both girls sat in the back, as far away from each other as they could.

The instant they arrived at Kevin's house, Selana retreated to her room. She didn't bother to take her share of the money; at the moment, it really didn't matter. She was actually considering taking her share of the overall profit and leaving without telling Katie and Kevin. She wasn't having anymore fun, that was certain, and she worked a lot better by herself.

As she was thinking this through, Sel's cell phone started to ring. With irritation, she looked to see that it was the same person who had been trying to get a hold of her for days. She still had no idea who it was; she never picked up for fear that it would lead the authorities to them. But today, curiosity got the best of her, and she received the call.

"Hello?"

"Sel! Finally! Where have you been?"

She paused for a moment before asking, "Who is this?"

"Are you serious? C'mon, love…it's Nick! You've been missing for days…are you all right?"

Of course. Nick, her ex-boyfriend. She hadn't really broken up with him…just left. She'd tried so hard to forget her life with Eric and Nick that she couldn't recognize Nick's number when he'd called. But why had he waited so long to call her? She voiced her question over the phone.

He sighed, but his voice was still full of concern. "I thought that Eric needed you or something, and that's why you left so abruptly. I thought it was kind of weird that you didn't call or tell me…but I figured that whatever that Kiara girl said to you had you so upset that you didn't want to talk to me. It was when Eric came by looking for you that I knew something happened…where are you, Sel? Eric really wants to see you…"

A million thoughts ran through her mind. Eric was looking for her…and apparently he was hoping that Nick would lead him to her. She needed time to think about this…

"Look, Nick…all you need to know is that I'm all right. I can't tell you where I am just yet, but I'm okay. I'll call you back later." And without even listening to his goodbye, she hung up the phone.

Downstairs, Kiara put her finger on a location on a map. "Last one," she said firmly.

Kevin glanced from the dot on the map to Katie. "Last one? But we've been having so much fun…"

Kiara looked up at him, noting the little smile he was trying to hide. "Not anymore. If we don't stop soon, we'll all hate each other till the end of time. That'd be too dangerous, always scared that one of your friends is going to turn you in."

"Oh, c'mon, Sel's not that mad…"

"Are you sure? Look, I don't know her very well, but I think I can tell when she's upset. We have to fix everything up between us soon, because she's the biggest threat to us."

Sel, standing around the corner outside the doorway, listened intently to them.

"I know that…" Kevin paused for a moment before continuing, "Remember Jane and Mike?"

"Yeah, what'd they do with their money? They were a lot of fun. They got married, right?" Jane and Mike were friends from college. What had started as a double date with them turned into a great friendship, which in turn led to the four friends' successful, though short, lives as criminals. Kiara hadn't heard from them for years.

"They…well…they did marry, but then Jane found out Mike had cheated on her around the time I met them…she turned him in to the police, and then he turned her in…they're in jail now."

Sel listened to the silence.

"How…how do you know that?" Kiara asked after a while.

"You were the one who disappeared, not me. I kept up with them—up until things got nasty…then I just read about them in the paper." There was more silence, and then Kevin added, "We should go visit them sometime, try and cheer them up."

"Are you kidding? The minute we go in there they'll turn us in out of spite that we escaped prison and they didn't!"

There was a small noise, as of somebody clearing their throat, and Sel stepped into the room.

"What's going on?" Selana asked as she sat down in a chair next to the couch Kiara and Kevin were sitting on. Her tone was casual, and she was smiling; she wouldn't let Kiara and Kevin's relationship—whatever it was—bother her. She still had Nick, and nothing Kiara had said would change that. She still trusted him, no matter what.

Kiara hesitated; it seemed weird that Sel would suddenly be in a good mood, especially after not talking to her or Kevin in days. "We were just…talking about robbing the last bank."

"Our last? Good." Sel nodded in approval. This was good news. That way, she could leave and go meet Nick somewhere without looking like she was up to something. Even so, she felt a small stab of jealousy and distaste when Kevin edged closer to Kiara, seemingly taking a better look at the map.

Maybe she wouldn't plan anything…it might be better just to play on this by instinct.

The three criminals' out-on-the-town wardrobe was, not surprisingly, all black. They each had black boots, black suits that made all three look like men, gas masks, goggles, ski masks, the works. Not one bit of their bodies could show, not the smallest particle of skin could be left behind. For communication purposes, each also had a small microphone underneath their headgear.

Kevin was, as usual, the first one on the scene—he had to be in the security room to trigger the gas and shut off the cameras. Sel and Kiara, upon entering, were two of the three conscious people in the building. They went to the vaults with bags to collect as much money as they could carry.

Partway through her third bag, Kiara stopped. "Sel? Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Must've been my imagination…"

The two continued, but Kiara's ears were now pricked to the slightest sound. She stopped again and looked at the doorway. "I heard footsteps."

Sel stopped and listened, but shook her head. "I don't hear anything, Kiara. Let's just hurry up and get out of here."

Kevin heard all of this through his headset and checked the security cameras, but by the time he spotted the two unfamiliar figures clad in black, they'd already knocked out Sel and Kiara. He had to strangle a cry, lest they heard him, as he watched them carry the two out. Tense, he checked all of the cameras again, but nobody else remained. They didn't know he was there.

Sel and Kiara came to in the back of a moving van, arms and legs tied tightly behind them, all headwear removed, surrounded by bags of money. They both quickly noticed that Kevin wasn't there. Two men sat up front, one with blond hair driving, and one with black hair sitting next to him. Sel gasped a little in surprise, and the black-headed one turned to look at them. "Finally awake?" he said, flashing them a cocky smile, his blue eyes fastened on Sel.


	5. Chapter 5

"How…?"

Nick smirked at Selana's shocked expression. "It was easy, _honey_," he said sarcastically. "I've been working with Eric this whole time…ever since we first met in high school. After you got away with Kiara, which was pure luck, by the way, I contacted Eric. We did an extensive background check on Kiara and found _her_ criminal record, and we knew that the robberies weren't coincidence. We've been in the area ever since. It was only a matter of time before you answered one of my calls, which we traced to your exact location. And here we are, one happy family again."

'_This can't be right…'_ Sel thought. '_I have to be dreaming…'_ But, had it been a dream, she probably wouldn't have felt the cold stab of betrayal. Despite this pain, she pushed back any trace of sadness or deceit and forcibly replaced all emotion with anger. It wouldn't do her any good to feel sorry for herself…and right now the best thing to do was to try and formulate a plan to get away. If she waited too long to try and escape…God knows what Eric and Nick had in store for her and Kiara.

Thinking of Kiara, Sel stole a glance over at her. She couldn't find any expressions on Kiara's face…she just seemed to be…thinking. Hopefully, she was thinking of an attempt at escape, too.

Kiara was, as Sel suspected, deep in thought. Eric and Nick would probably kill them later, but right now they'd need Kiara and Sel to tell them where the rest of the money was. She already knew that Eric thought of Sel as a brainless idiot, so would he assume that Kiara had planned all of this?

As if to confirm her thoughts, Eric said, "I have to admit, that whole robbery thing was quite admirable."

Sel quickly noted that Eric was talking more to Kiara than to her. More fuel for her anger…

Kiara, angry as well at how Eric treated Sel, was about to open her mouth to say something back to him, but in a split second a plan came to her. Why not let him believe Sel was just a lackey? Why not take credit for the planning of the robberies? He'd be sure to watch her more carefully, then, which would mean that Sel would have a better opportunity to escape! And then, the next thing Eric knew, his sister would be engineering an ingenious plan to get Kiara and herself out of his grasp, and when Sel stepped out of his shadow, he'd be forced to realize that he'd underestimated her all along! It was perfect! Of course, she'd have to communicate this plan to Sel somehow, which would be more difficult…

For now, she smirked and tossed her head, saying, "I try."

Sel was horrified for a moment. Kiara was acknowledging the fact that she'd been the brain of everything? But that wasn't true! Sel hadn't thought she was so vain…but maybe she was just pretending. She glanced at Kiara, who winked at her, and she almost breathed a sigh of relief. Kiara had a plan of some sort!

But even if Kiara had a plan…she just couldn't let Kiara tear apart her reputation. Anyways, it would have been out of character to keep quiet.

"That's not true! Kiara, you _know_ that I was a big part of the robberies!" she blurted out, glaring at her friend.

Kiara laughed. "Yeah, you tripped the alarms and almost got us caught half the time."

It was a lie, but it did get a short laugh out of Eric. Sel hoped that winning Eric's admiration was part of her plan…because if so, she sure was doing a good job.

This time, when Selana opened her mouth to deny this accusation, Eric quickly ordered Nick to 'shut her up'. Nick hastily went to the back of the van where Kiara and Selana were, crouched next to Sel, and roughly put a piece of duct tape over her mouth. Looks like Kiara would have to do this on her own…but Sel knew she was clever enough to think of something if this plan would fail.

Safely back home, Kevin reflected that Katie had never told him why she needed money. She hated being a criminal; she always had…she wouldn't resort to crime unless her plight was really desperate. Last time…

Last time, her younger sister had been kidnapped and held for ransom. Katie never talked about it now, and Kevin didn't press her, but something happened when she was delivering the money…something bad always happened to Katie. She'd be a lot safer if she just stayed away from criminal activity—actually, everybody would be, though it was at times fun.

Kevin had already guessed that Eric was behind Katie and Chels' kidnapping. He knew where Eric lived, but he doubted Eric would be dumb enough to take them there…he must have some other hideout. Booting up his computer with the intention of finding that hideout, Kevin thought briefly that Nick was probably the other captor—he didn't know of anyone else who'd had recent connections with Katie and Chels.

When they reached their destination, Eric and Nick wasted no time in dragging Selana and Katie into the house, both blindfolded. They were both put in separate rooms so they couldn't help each other escape. Eric dealt with Katie (he was very intrigued by her and wanted to know more about her…) and Nick handled Sel.

Nick put Selana in a room where he knew she couldn't escape, a place in the basement with no windows, no weapons, nothing…just a chair. Four boring grey walls and a chair. Nick tied Sel tightly to this chair, making sure that there was no possible way she could escape. He'd already taken off the blindfold and the gag; he was almost hoping she'd say something to him, how shocked she was that he was behind this, or begging him to come back to her. But to his surprise, Selana stayed completely silent, grimly staring ahead like none of this was even happening. Even when he tied the cords binding her to the chair much too tight, so that it was surely uncomfortable, she remained staring, not complaining or even moving. Out of sympathy he loosened the cords, but still she didn't have anything to say.

Nick had known Selana for years, and she'd always had something to say to him. No matter what it was, she always said something. He wouldn't have been surprised if she'd started talking about cranberry sauce as he was tying her up, but she'd remained completely silent. She really must be shaken up.

But that wouldn't stop Nick from being cocky about this. He'd beaten her…he was in control now. He stood right in front of her, and even though she seemed to stare right through him, he grabbed the sides of the chair and straddled her, an I'm-better-than-you-and-I-know-it smile on his face. _This_ snapped her from whatever she was thinking about. She tensed up and glared at him.

"Get _off_ me."

He tilted his head to the side and his smile grew bigger. "C'mon, Sely, we're still a couple, right?"

If she could have, she would have hit him with all her strength. "You cheated on me, bastard. You were probably sleeping around from the moment we started dating."

He frowned and sighed. "True…" He smiled again. "But you were always my favorite, Sely."

Selana didn't say anything, but continued to glare at him. He stood up and backed away.

"Well, darling', you're obviously pretty angry and confused, so I'll let you cool off and then come and see where I can get. I'd better check in on Katie and Eric, anyways…because I think Eric has a crush on someone, and I'd better make sure Katie's okay…" He paused for a moment as new fire came to Selana's eyes. Obviously Selana and Katie were pretty close. "I'll be back, love." And with that, he left the room.

Eric was standing outside the door, waiting for Nick. "Done already?" asked Nick, a sly expression on his face.

Eric caught the suggestion in his voice but chose to ignore it. "I have some work to do, so you can go ahead and start interrogating them now. Our main concern is where the money is hidden. I'll be on my computer." He started to walk away.

Nick stopped him by asking, "What about Kiara?"

"What about her?" Eric turned to face Nick again, slightly annoyed.

"I thought you'd want to take care of her yourself," said Nick, smirking.

"You thought wrong."

Eric had never been good with girls. During puberty, he'd become more interested in them, of course, but he'd never had a chance with any girl he'd liked. He'd convinced himself that relationships with those of the opposite gender were pointless, and he avoided contact with any female other than Sel. Nick's point of view on this was much different, and he enjoyed graphically describing his encounters with women to Eric. Eric had learned how to tune him out over time.

Kiara was interesting enough, but Eric wouldn't admit to himself that he was attracted to her in any way. Nevertheless, the first thing he did on his computer was to pull up the cameras monitoring Kiara's room. She was sitting there exactly as he'd left her, tied to the chair with her head hanging down. Eric forced himself to get to work researching her; he knew all there was to know about Sel, but Kiara's background was still shrouded in mystery.

About an hour later, Eric checked the cameras again. Sel was alone in her cell, but Kiara…Nick was straddling her, playing with her hair. Eric grabbed his cell phone and called Nick's, ordering him to come upstairs right away. He then watched to make sure Nick got off Kiara and walked out of the room.

Eric took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself...he'd never been that angry before; it didn't make sense!

Nick strode into Eric's room and leaned against the wall. "What?"

"Come here," Eric said, trying to keep the anger he was feeling out of his voice. Nick walked up behind him, and Eric replayed the little scene caught by the video camera in Kiara's cell. "What is _that_?" Watching the video again had fueled his anger, and he couldn't keep it out of his voice now.

"A form of interrogation," Nick said calmly, plopping himself down onto Eric's bed. "She wouldn't tell me where the money was, so I threatened her. If you hadn't interrupted me, I'm sure I could have…_persuaded_ her to tell me whatever she knew." He paused to take in Eric's face, his grin spreading. "You're jealous."

"Not jealous, just…disapproving," said Eric, refusing to look at Nick.

"You wouldn't mind if I did that to Sel…"

"Yes, I would," Eric lied. "There are cameras in her cell, too, and I, personally, don't want to see that." He paused, trying to think of how to word his next statement in a way that might make Nick believe he was telling the truth. "Contrary to your current beliefs, women aren't toys, not even if they're tied to a chair and completely helpless. We're criminals here, not rapists."

"Ok," said Nick, clearly not buying it. He headed toward the door, but stopped with his hand on the doorknob. "It's pretty obvious you like her, Eric. If you want to use my bedroom tonight…"

"Get _out_," Eric said, struggling to keep from shouting.

As Eric and Nick were preoccupied with Kiara, Selana had managed to free one of her hands. Nick hadn't tied the ropes too tight; he should have known that she could get out, but he had seemed distant, thinking about something else. As a matter of fact, Eric had seemed focused on something else. Something must be up.

After her right hand was free, she worked on her left. This proved to be difficult because her hands had been tied behind the chair. Finally, both hands were free. From there it would be easy to untie her legs and waist.

Once she tossed aside the rope, she hurriedly scrambled under the camera in the corner of the room. If they didn't see her escape, she was better off. She started towards the door but stopped herself. Despite her immediate instincts to flee, she remained in the corner, watching the door and waiting for it to open. If she left the room now, Eric and Nick could be waiting for her. And she had no idea where Kiara was. Besides, the room might be locked from the outside. If she stayed in the room, she had the element of surprise on her side. They wouldn't know if she had left the room or stayed.

Eric was supposed to be watching the monitors, but his mind kept wandering. He couldn't stop thinking about Kiara. He had no idea why he would be interested in her. She was just like any of the other girls he'd met…well, that wasn't true. In a way, she was the exact opposite of all the others. The little he knew about her was just…intriguing. He wanted to know more.

Eric stood without even glancing at the monitors and grabbed his gun, which was lying on the desk. He shook his head in an attempt to rid his thoughts of Kiara as he stuffed the gun in his belt. He had to concentrate on more pressing matters, like what he was going to do with Selana. Eric knew that Nick wanted to keep her alive, but she had screwed up one too many times. And this time, she had been completely defiant. There was no way he could make her obey him any longer. She had to be killed. As for Kiara…he'd keep her alive until he got bored with her. If he got bored.

"What are you doing?" Nick asked, eyeing Eric's gun.

"My sister has to be dealt with."

"You can't do that!" Nick sprang to his feet. "She's your sister. How could you kill her?"

Eric sighed. "She disobeyed me. And you can't possibly tell me that you 'love' her. You were never faithful to her…I think _I_ treated her better than _you_ did."

"You're right…" Nick said slowly, but he still looked a little concerned. "I meant that…don't you want to make her suffer, first?"

"I plan to."

"Eric…let me have a bit of fun with her, first. Just for an hour, or less. And when I'm done with her, you can do whatever you want with her," Nick said.

"No. I've made up my mind. I will kill her, and I'll do it _now_." With those final words, Eric strode away, down the stairs and towards the makeshift prison cells. Nick hesitated for a moment or two, but then followed. He _wanted_ to keep Sel around, and Eric _knew _that. If Eric wouldn't respect his wishes, he wouldn't respect Eric's.

Kiara was just as he'd left her: sitting in a dejected silence. She looked up at him as he locked the cell door behind him. He sauntered across the room and flicked off the camera, her eyes following him warily. His next move was to straddle her again and lock lips with her. She jerked her head away and to the side, sputtering: "But I thought Eric—"

Nick grabbed her hair and yanked it so she had to face him again. "Eric is busy killing Sel," he sneered. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak again, but he took the opportunity to shove his tongue into it. He knew this was stupid, but he figured he had to take his anger out somehow. If—no, when—Eric caught him…well, Nick had taken the precaution of grabbing his own gun, so he'd be fine.

Selana heard the lock turning and tensed. This was it, she thought. She wondered for a moment if it was Eric or Nick or both coming through the door, but after the moment passed it didn't matter. When the door swung open, she lunged at the figure in the doorway, grabbing him in a chokehold. Selana knew it was Eric by his blonde hair. She was pleased when she realized she had caught him by surprise. For the first few moments, Eric acted instinctively: grabbing at her arm and trying to breathe. But soon he reached for his gun. Fortunately, Sel was prepared for this; she snatched the gun from his belt and rammed the butt end into his head. He went limp instantly. Selana released her hold on his neck and let him fall to the ground, where blood from his head wound formed a pool. Satisfied, she quickly tied his hands and feet with the ropes that had been used to restrain her.

When she was done, she left the room in search for Kiara. She held the gun in her hands, ready to fire; she still had to worry about Nick. To her dismay, there was a whole hallway of doors. Kiara could be in any one.

Nick had unzipped Kiara's cat suit by the time Sel found the right door. He was kissing Kiara's neck, one hand tangled in her hair and the other in her suit. Something in Sel snapped. Before she knew what she was doing, she had taken aim and pulled the trigger.

Kiara screamed as Nick slumped forward onto her shoulder, blood gushing from his lower back. Sel stood frozen for a few seconds, shocked at what she'd just done, but Kiara's horrified expression snapped her out of her reverie. She pushed Nick onto the floor; he stared up at her, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. She shuddered and turned away to untie Kiara. There was blood on Kiara's neck, torso, and suit, and her wide eyes were locked on Nick's prone form. Sel had to jerk Kiara up and half-drag her down the hall, up the stairs, and into the garage. They jumped into Eric's car, where Sel reached for the ignition but realized she didn't have keys. "Wait here," she ordered Kiara, before dashing inside to search for keys.

They drove in a shocked silence through the night, arriving at Kevin's house somewhere around 2am. Shivering in the cold night air, they huddled in front of the door as Sel rang the doorbell.

Kevin was startled out of a very weird dream by the second ring of the doorbell. He yawned, stretched, and slowly made his way to the door, scratching his stomach as he went. The doorbell rang again. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered, pulling back the curtains to peek outside.

He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked a second time. He yelped as he realized that it really _was_ Katie and Chelsea, fumbling with the locks to throw the door wide open. "Katie! Chelsea! What—" He stopped, realizing they were staring at him, and wondered why. Then it dawned on him: He was dressed only in his boxers. "Oh, um…well…it's kind of late, you know, and…um…come on in."

They stepped inside. He closed the door and muttered something about getting dressed, but Chelsea stopped him. "No, that's ok…we're…tired, and…it'd best if we all went to bed…" He nodded his agreement and glanced at Katie. There was blood on her neck and in her hair, and she had a red mark on her neck—a hicky. She silently turned and walked to her room. She looked…sad, scared, and numb…and he wanted to know what was wrong. He looked at Chelsea as she walked away, and saw the same expression on her face.

He went to bed, but didn't find any sleep that night.


	6. Chapter 6

Though each of them was exhausted, they all ended up sitting in the living room. Not one of the trio had been able to get to sleep. Both of the girls were still partially in shock and wore the same distant look on their faces as they had before. They had changed out of the leather cat suits and Kiara had washed the blood off of herself.

For a long while they all sat in a thick silence. Kiara and Selana didn't care much for talking; each was thinking their own thoughts about what had happened. But for Kevin, the silence was torturous, and he was eager to know what had happened. Unfortunately, neither of the girls looked like they wanted to talk. Finally, Kevin couldn't take it anymore. "Are you two going to tell me what's going on?"

It was as if a dam broke. Suddenly both Sel and Kiara were talking nonstop. Next thing Kevin knew, they were crying on his shoulders. He'd caught most of what they'd said, and he had thousands of questions, but right now they just needed comforting. In all of their crime fighting days, none of them had been forced to kill someone. He knew it must be hard to deal with.

Later, after the tears had subsided, the girls filled in all of the information Kevin had missed.

"So…what are we going to do now? We have all the money you wanted, Katie, and more…what's next?" Kevin asked tentatively. He was afraid that she would take the money and leave.

"I want to split up." Just as he had feared.

"_Split up_?" Sel exclaimed. "After what's just _happened_? You can't just leave!"

Kiara thought for a moment. "No one would expect us to go our separate ways and get on with our lives. Sel, you said that you didn't kill Eric…he could come looking for us. If we split up, we'd be harder to find. I'll take the money I need and leave."

Eric woke with a start. His head ached dully, and his hands and feet were tied. He began to remember what had happened, and became furious. Selana had gotten the best of him. It hadn't even crossed his mind that she might be free. Why hadn't he been watching the monitors like he was supposed to? Then he would have expected an attack, and would have at least been ready to immobilize her. But now she had escaped. All because he couldn't stop thinking about Kiara. And Eric was sure that Sel had helped her escape, too. Nick was either gone or had met the same fate as Eric.

Unfortunately, Selana had been too worried about escaping to make sure Eric was completely disabled. Though she had tied the ropes tight enough to start cutting off the circulation in his hands, he still had enough feeling to fish a knife out of his back pocket. With great difficulty and patience, he was able to cut the ropes from his hands, then feet.

As Eric approached the room where Kiara had been kept, he tried to push all hopes that she would be there out of his mind. When he opened the door, he was both disappointed and surprised at what he saw. Kiara was gone, which saddened him, but Nick was lying on his back in a pool of blood. At first, Eric thought he was dead (it was obviously a fatal wound if not treated and Eric had no idea how long he'd been unconscious), but Nick began coughing up blood. Eric silently debated what he should do. He had spotted Nick's gun; he still had it with him. So obviously he had been shot with Eric's gun after Sel had taken it. But why would she shoot Nick? She didn't even think to shoot Eric. Suddenly he pictured what must have happened. Nick must have been with Kiara, and his sister, out of jealousy, had shot Nick. Eric was overcome with rage. Nick had touched Kiara…possibly done even more. He walked over to Nick, crouched beside him, and snatched his gun. Nick opened his eyes instantly. The pain was obvious on his face. He focused his gaze on Eric and tried to speak. "Sel…sh-she…shot me…" He grimaced in pain from the effort. Eric took note that some of the pain that shone in his eyes was not just physical.

"I gathered that much." Eric cocked the gun and pointed it at Nick's face. "And I don't see any reason to keep you alive. I told you to stay away from Kiara." His finger tightened on the trigger.

"Wait! I know…things…about Kiara…" He had to pause for a moment. "You m-might be…interested." Nick tried to smirk, but ended up coughing instead.

"What kind of things?" Eric demanded.

Nick succeeded in grinning this time. "First…help me."

Despite Kevin and Selana's arguments against Kiara's leaving, she had remained firm. She had changed her name to Kayla, got an apartment in New York City, and deposited plenty of money in a savings account in the bank. She was still very much afraid—of Eric _and_ the police—but she had made a good attempt at moving on.

Now, if only she knew where to deliver the money…

She sat down on the couch to think, keeping the phone near her. A few years ago, when she was out of town, her parents' house had been robbed. The police investigated, of course, and found her parents dead in a ditch outside of town, but her sister was never found. The police finally closed the case, and she had given up hope of ever seeing her little sister again. That was when she got an anonymous phone call from her sister's captors. They promised the safe return of her sister, in return for a huge ransom, of course. Although she never confided in Kevin, Jane, or Mike, that was what had spurred her first crime spree.

She stole the appropriate amount (and extra, to start her on her new life), and she delivered the money faithfully. Her sister was brought to her, they hugged, and suddenly guns were trained on them. What happened next was a blur. She remembered throwing her sister to the ground just as she heard a gunshot, but suddenly she was back at her house. There was an awful smell around her, like sulfur, and she was forced to accept that her sister was likely dead.

But just a year ago, she'd gotten another call. It was the kidnappers again, and they claimed her sister was still alive. She knew it was stupid, but she so wanted to believe them, and she agreed to gather another ransom. However, Sel and shown up the next day, and Kiara was temporarily sidetracked… She feared the criminals had given up on her, and this fear grew every day they didn't call.

After Kiara left, Selana continued to stay with Kevin. They both hoped that Kiara would end up coming back. Kevin had wanted to start a relationship with her, and Sel missed having a friend around. She knew Kevin, but she hadn't seen him in a long while and wasn't quite sure if he could be trusted…or if she even liked him anymore. Kiara hadn't been clear at all as to why she was leaving, and she had not seemed like she wanted to stay in contact, but Sel would still trust Kiara with her life.

Selana was still shaken about Nick's death. For the first few weeks with Kevin, she was very paranoid and jumpy, always thinking that the police would knock on the door and arrest her for murder. But after a while, she stopped being afraid, and realized that Eric had probably awakened, found Nick, and disposed of the body. But even if Sel didn't get punished for it, the fact that she was a murderer still weighed heavily on her mind.

After about a month, Sel and Kevin both realized that Kiara wasn't coming back anytime soon, and they started to go on with their lives. Kevin went back to his old job, and Selana applied at local stores. Though they had plenty of money left over after Kiara took her share, they didn't want to spend it all right away. Although Sel had talked about buying her own apartment, Kevin wouldn't let her. He knew how much Nick's murder bothered her, and he wasn't about to let her stay on her own without someone to watch out for her. Besides, he liked her company, and the more he learned about her, the more he wanted to know.

It wasn't long before they both realized they wanted something more than friendship. Kevin had always had a crush on Kiara, and he had been hoping to start a relationship with her, but it didn't look like she was going to come back. He had enjoyed rekindling his friendship with Selana, and she was a beautiful woman. Selana had developed an attraction for him soon after they had started the robberies. It made her wish she had stayed in touch with him after high school. When they became intimate, any notion of Sel moving out was thrown out the window. Selana seemed to forget about Nick after she had someone else to think about, and Kevin missed Kiara less and less.

Kayla's phone rang. She answered it immediately and was rewarded by a deep voice she thought she recognized. "Do you want help finding your sister?

A chill ran down her spine. "Who is this?"

"Yes or no: Do you want help finding your sister?"

"Yes—"

"I'll meet you in five minutes."

"Where—" She heard a click on the other line.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. With much trepidation, Kayla grabbed her gun and looked through the peephole. She nearly passed out when she saw who it was, but she steeled herself for the worst and let Eric in.

He wore a cocky grin as he glanced around. "Nice place you got here, Kiara—or, rather, Kayla." He seated himself comfortably on the couch and looked pointedly at the gun in her hand. "You can put that down."

She shook her head. "What do you know about my sister?"

He shrugged. "Plenty. What you should be concerned about is how I can help you find her." He paused, and she nodded hesitantly for him to continue. "I have…connections to her captor's. With the appropriate payment, I could arrange for her release…"

Kayla sighed in resignation. "How much?"

Eric smiled. "Put the gun down and we'll discuss it."

As it turned out, Eric's payment was more than Kayla could afford without dipping into the ransom money. To compensate for this, they would have to commit a few more robberies…

Selana and Kevin caught wind of this while watching the news. They glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing. "Kiara…" What they couldn't figure out was whom she might be working with and why she would possibly need more money. In an attempt to find her, Kevin tried predicting where she'd strike next. He and Sel would rush there as soon as they could, but they were always a few minutes too late.

The day came when Kayla handed Eric half of his payment. "There," she said. "You'll get the rest of it when my sister is safe."

Eric, smirking, stuffed the money into his jacket pocket. "And she will be, in less than a week."

Later that week, he drove Kayla to an old, dilapidated warehouse, ransom money in hand (or rather, briefcase). He led her inside and downstairs, where they encountered a locked door. Eric produced they key, unlocked the door, and gestured Kayla inside. "Ladies first."

Inside was what looked to be a brand new underground home that was as different from the old warehouse as day was from night. "This is it," Eric said, locking the door behind him. "Follow me."

Kayla did so, around so many twists and turns that she could never possibly find her way out. She started to wonder where Eric was taking her, suspicions rising in her head. "Leave the money here. The last door straight down the hall is where they're keeping her."

Hope leaped into Kayla's heart, pushing her doubts away. She dropped the briefcase and nearly ran to the end of the hall, pushing the door open and stepping into a new room—a bedroom, by the looks of it, and her sister was nowhere in sight. The door closed behind her, and she distinctly heard the click of the lock. She turned around. Eric, leering at her, caught her around the waist and pulled her toward him.

"What are you _doing_?" she shouted, trying to push away from him. "Where's my sister?"

"Dead," Eric replied coldly, tangling a hand in her hair. "Long dead." He pushed her backwards onto the king size bed, kissing her passionately.

She pushed him away as hard as she could and succeeded in dislodging him for a few seconds. "You—"

"Shut up and lay still," Eric muttered, holding her down. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

Selana inspected herself in the mirror. The black dressed she had just changed into was perfect for Kevin's taste—not too modest, but not too revealing, either. She had bought it only yesterday, but they had been planning to go out for weeks. Neither of them worked that weekend, so all was perfect. Kevin, with some of the money left over from the robberies, had gotten reservations at one of the most romantic restaurants he could think of.

She looked over herself one last time and went down to the living room, where Kevin was waiting for her (he always thought she took too long to get ready). He looked up and smiled. "You're gorgeous."

Sel smiled back, blushing. "Thank you. Should we go now?"

"Not yet," Kevin said jokingly and pulled her down beside him. "The reservation was set for 7."

"It's 6:30, Kev…I don't want to be late."

Kevin kissed her cheek. "Maybe we just won't go." She giggled as he nuzzled her neck.

She playfully pushed him away. "Kevin, it took you forever to get a reservation. I don't want to waste this opportunity…"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Kevin sighed and stood up. "Can you get that?" And with a smirk, added, "I'm going to cancel my reservation."

Selana smiled and shook her head. Kevin knew that she didn't like to go out much, but he still liked to take her out. He must have something else planned, and she had a few guesses as to what it was. Sel went to the door, still smiling, and opened it just as the doorbell rang a second time. Her jaw dropped when she saw who was at the door.

Nick smiled shyly at her. "Long time no see."

"N-Nick…you're _alive_?"

"Course I am…Sel, you look like your going to cry." He looked concerned.

She was in shock more than anything else. "I thought I killed you—"

"Aw, Sel, please don't cry." But she couldn't stop herself. Nick stepped inside and hugged her close.

"Selana, what is going _on_?" Kevin demanded. He had walked in just as Nick enveloped Selana in his arms. "Who is this?"

Nick and Sel both looked up in unison. "Didn't she tell you about me? I'm Nick."

Kevin looked confused. "I thought he was dead." He directed his statement at Selana.

"So did I," Nick answered. "But Eric saved me."

"Eric?" Selana pushed Nick away from her. "Is that why you came here? To take me back?"

"No, no, no. I'd never do that. The only reason I was helping him was because Kiara—"

Sel looked irritated and angry. "I'd almost forgotten. That's why I shot you."

"Selana! Let me explain. I was mad at Eric. He wouldn't let me be with you…" Nick started to approach her again, but Kevin grabbed Sel's arm and firmly pulled her towards himself.

"I really don't know what's going on here." Kevin glared at Nick. "But I do know that I don't trust you. Get out of my house, and leave Sel alone."

Nick looked desperate. "Wait! You can't kick me out. Kiara…she's in big trouble."

Both Kevin and Selana were surprised. "What do you mean? Do you know where she is?" Selana asked quickly.

"Yes, I do…and so does Eric. Look, Sel, I'm really, truly sorry—"

"Eric knows, too?" Kevin interrupted. "We have to get to her before he does…"

"It might be a little late for that," Nick said quietly.

"Then we need to leave now. Nick, you can fill us in on the way." Selana headed towards the garage without another word. Nick followed, wearing a self-satisfied smirk that did not go unnoticed.

Kurt Wagner had met Melody years ago, at a Halloween party. Despite his mutant condition, they had become great friends almost immediately (not that her parents or older sister, Katie, knew…). When Melody had been kidnapped, Kurt searched high and low for her, but to no avail. In the end, he'd had to ignore Katie's crime spree and hope it would end in Melody's rescue. He'd followed Katie when she delivered the ransom money, and it was he who teleported her to safety when bullets flew. He had returned just in time to save Melody, but he took her to a different place that wasn't as far away as Katie's apartment (two teleportations in a row were taxing enough for him without them both being long distance).

The day after rescuing Melody, Kurt had teleported to Katie's apartment and terrified a couple that was looking into renting it. Katie was gone, and he could find no trace of her. He had returned to his own apartment to break the news to Melody, making it a point to tell her that Katie might be either dead or in danger of death. So, Melody had to stay with him for a while.

Now, as it turned out, 18-year-old Melody had always had a crush on Kurt. He'd done his best previously of making sure she knew they were just friends, but now… Despite his best attempts to stop 'them' from going farther, stuff happened. They'd even begun to talk about marriage when her captors found them and killed Melody. In the process, they mentioned something very interesting about Katie still being alive…

Kurt started tracking her, partly to tell her about Melody's death and partly to protect her. By this time, however, she had changed her identity twice and moved around a lot. So, it was only after Eric captured her that Kurt caught up.

Kurt had expected Eric's hideout to be harder to find than it was, but he was thankful for a tiny bit of a break. He would've liked to just teleport in, grab Katie, and leave, but he'd never seen the inside of the place before… He'd have to sneak in and search the whole place.

It was about an hour later that he found the last door down the hall, and this was the only locked door in the whole place. He picked the lock with a sinking feeling—he'd found no sign of Katie in the rest of the place, and he was beginning to think that she was dead or locked away, abused and alone…

The bedroom was empty, save for the huge bed and a computer desk in the corner. Kurt tried to log onto the computer, but, naturally, it was password protected. Next, he picked the locked drawers in the desk. In one, he found what looked to be top-secret plans; in another, an assortment of weapons; and in the third… Kurt nearly threw up when he searched the third. Inside were photo albums full of pictures of Katie, and some unsorted photos as well. One album was full of pictures Eric must've taken while stalking Katie, and the many others…well, Kurt only looked at one of those, and one was enough. Suffice it to say that Katie was apparently Eric's slave—he'd taken so many photos in just two and a half weeks' time.

There were two doors leading out of the bedroom. Kurt chose the left one and stepped into the largest walk-in closet he'd ever seen. It was filled with beautiful dresses, silk bathrobes and lingerie, dainty shoes… Katie might be Eric's slave, but it seemed he spent a lot of money on her.

Kurt checked his watch: It was nearly 8pm. Eric didn't appear to be home yet, but Kurt figured he'd better hurry. He tried the next door and entered a study of sorts, with a couple of bookshelves, another computer, and the crowning figure: Katie! She had her back to Kurt and was reading, but she painted a pretty picture in a silken midnight blue floral bathrobe. She must've assumed he was Eric, because she didn't acknowledge him in any way.

"Um…Katie?" Kurt ventured, although he knew perfectly well who she was.

Not recognizing his voice, she turned around and screamed when she saw him. He put a finger to his lips in a desperate attempt to quiet her, glancing around uneasily.

"Shh! I'm—er, I was—a friend of Melody's, and I—well, I'll explain later, but we've got to get out of here!"

Katie eyed him uneasily. "I've been tricked a lot lately. How do I know this isn't some sick joke Eric's playing on me?"

Kurt thought he heard footsteps coming, but maybe he was just paranoid. "I'll explain later! Let's go!" He dashed toward her, grabbed her as she screamed again, and with a loud _bamf_, they were gone.

Nick explained everything on their way to New York City. He included every detail he knew, from the kidnapping of Melody to her murder. He explained that he had been involved in the kidnapping, and had been helping track down Melody for the past several years. He made a point of telling Sel that most of the time when she thought he was cheating on her, he was actually looking for Melody (which was a flat-out lie, but she didn't know that). He also stated to her that he could have killed Kiara at any time like he was supposed to, but didn't for Selana's sake. Kevin, of course, got sick of Nick trying to apologize to Sel, and threatened to kick Nick out of the car while it was moving.

"I think we'll make it there by tomorrow," Kevin said, inspecting a map closely. They had bought two hotel rooms for the night. Of course, Nick was in the other room by himself.

Selana sat down next to him. "Kev, what if we're too late? If Eric already got her—"

"He didn't. He can't have." Kevin's expression had suddenly become angry. "We've got to get there in time."

"Another thing." Selana rested her head on his shoulder. "When we get there, and we see Kiara…you know, it's been a couple of months."

"I know." Kevin nodded.

"And I know that you've always liked her more than me. Are you going to leave me for her when we get to New York?"

There was a long silence before he spoke. "I don't know. What about Nick?"

She frowned. "What about him?" She didn't like the way he was avoiding her question.

"He's crazy about you."

"He can be as crazy as he wants. It doesn't change what he did."

Kevin smiled and kissed her lightly. "Let's go to bed. We need an early start tomorrow."

They arrived in New York City late in the day. Nick gave them oddly specific directions to Kiara's apartment, so they arrived there quickly with the help of a map. Kevin parked directly outside the complex, and they all hurried inside. They found her apartment easily enough, but the door was locked. Sel volunteered to pick the lock; that was her expertise, but Nick objected.

"What if she's just sleeping? Or not at home? It's illegal to just bust in."

"When have you ever cared what was against the law? Anyways, if she were inside, she'd be too happy to see us. She wouldn't even care that I picked the lock," Sel countered and took out a small box that carried many different-sized picks. She carefully chose one and began to pick the lock.

"I warned you," Nick muttered under his breath.

Selana had the lock open within seconds, and threw it open. Both Kevin and Sel were shocked to see Eric sitting at the table with a gun in front of him. While they were still standing agape, Nick shoved them inside, stepped in himself, closed the door, and locked it.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon," Eric said calmly. "But I have to admit, I was getting impatient waiting."

"You lied to us!" Selana turned on Nick. Her face flushed with rage. "This was all a trap!" She threw a punch at him, but he was expecting it and blocked her easily.

"Eric, I upheld my part of the bargain," Nick said, his eyes sparkling. "Will you uphold yours?"

Eric sighed. "Very well. Find the bedroom for that sort of thing, though. I'll kill this nuisance before you go." He picked up the gun and pointed it at Kevin.

"No! Not Kevin! You don't even know him, why kill him?" Selana cried as she tried to get to Kevin, but Nick held her back.

"If Kiara has no one to save her, I have nothing to worry about anymore." He cocked the gun and his finger tightened on the trigger. "Any last words?"

_bamf_


	7. Chapter 7

Everybody froze when they saw Kurt and Kayla materialize in her apartment—everyone except Kayla. Sure, she was as surprised as the next person, but when she saw Eric holding the gun…she launched herself at him and tore it out of his grasp.

"Katie—" he started, hoping to sweet-talk her, but she would have none of it.

"Nick, Eric, get in that corner. You too, blue man," she commanded, pointing the gun at them.

"What? Me? But I just saved you!" Kurt protested.

"Or maybe you brought me here to watch Kevin and Sel get killed. In the corner."

He could've teleported away, but… "Let me explain!"

"Later. Get in the corner. Kevin, Sel, see if you can find some rope."

They all obeyed—it was obvious Kayla was in no mood to be messed with. Nevertheless, Eric did try. "Katie, I wasn't going to hurt them, I just—"

Kayla laughed coldly. "Yeah, right. That's why you had a gun pointed at Kevin. New shut up or I blow your head off."

Kevin and Sel did find rope, rope that Eric must've brought—it was in the bedroom, which made clear to them the deal Nick and Eric had made. They brought it out, disarmed the three men, and tied them up. After that, Kayla relaxed some and lowered the gun. "All right, blue man. Talk."

Kurt complied with some relief, starting with who and what he was. He moved from there to how he met Melody, rescued her and Katie, and lived with Melody for a while. "I came to find you because…well, that black-haired guy and a few others found and killed Mel. I had thought you were dead, too, but they mentioned you were still alive. I wanted to find you before they did…obviously I failed." He paused, waiting for somebody to say something. When nobody did, he hesitantly continued, "…are you going to let me go now?"

"Why should I believe you?" Kayla countered.

Kurt rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "I don't know. But I can help you put these guys in prison."

Sel spoke up then. "Kiara—er, Katie—nobody could make up a story that weird."

"Thank you!" Kurt said sarcastically. "So now, I'm either telling the truth or crazy!"

Kevin could care less about Kurt and what was going on. Standing in front of him were two beautiful women—Chels in that pretty black dress; Katie in a silk bathrobe—and now, he'd have to pick between them. His indecision didn't go unnoticed.

"Having trouble picking one?" Nick asked, smirking.

Kayla glared viciously at him. "Kevin, Sel…gag those two. I'm letting the blue man go." She stepped over to untie him.

"Kurt! My name is Kurt!" he muttered as Kayla loosened the last knot.

"Fine, Kurt, whatever. You said you could put these two in prison?" Kurt nodded. "Then do it and leave me alone." With that, she stormed away to her bedroom to get dressed, locking the door behind her.

Eric was infuriated. So much so that he didn't care what was going on around him. Everything had been perfect: he had Kiara, and she was everything he had imagined, and he was about to kill the only two people who could get in his way. At least he thought they were the only two. A complete stranger—a mutant, nonetheless—had taken Kiara from him. Now everything was a disaster. There wasn't even a way to sweet-talk his way out of this. Unless…

"I hope you realize, Sister," Eric said, starting to talk before they had a chance to gag him, "that if I go to prison, you're coming with me."

Everyone was surprised when Eric spoke. He'd been quiet for practically the whole time, since he had tried talking to Kiara.

"What do you mean?" Selana asked slowly, even though she could guess what he meant.

He laughed. "I'll tell the authorities everything. The robberies, the attempted murder of Nick, and all the dirty work you've done for me. You're going to jail with me, and you'll probably serve a much longer sentence. If I'm going down, you're going with me…unless you let me go."

"He could turn in you and Kiara, too…" Selana whispered to Kevin. She glared at Eric. "So I guess we should kill you then."

"No," Kurt objected. "I can't let you do that."

"What in the _hell_?" Selana exclaimed. "Who are you to tell me what to do? You're sure acting like you're on the other side right now…" She glared daggers at him.

"He's right, Sel," Kevin said, trying to calm her. "Remember how you acted about Nick?"

Selana flushed. "I wasn't going to kill him anyways. It's not worth it." She didn't say another word.

"I hope Katie's doing all right…" Kevin murmured, and everyone but him noticed Selana's expression darken. He stood, went to the bedroom, and knocked on the door.

"Go away," Katie shouted. She had changed into blue jeans and a t-shirt, throwing the silk robe as far away from her as possible. Eric had tried to win her over by buying her nice things—things she normally would've liked. As it was, she couldn't wait to burn that robe.

"Katie," Kevin called, "are you all right?"

"Leave!" she shouted. "And get everybody else out of here, too!"

Obviously hurt, Kevin returned to the living room. "Get those two out of here," he said, gesturing to Nick and Eric. "I don't care what you do with them."

"Katie doesn't like you anymore?" Eric sneered. "What a shame…maybe if I—"

Kevin punched Eric as hard as he could, knocking Eric out. "Maybe killing him would be the best thing…"

"Don't let your emotions get the best of you," Kurt advised. Kevin glared furiously at him. "I'll take care of them," Kurt added quickly. "And…okay, I'm sure I don't know Katie as well as you do, but it seems to me that she needs some time alone. Just a thought." Before Kevin could punch him, too, Kurt grabbed Nick and Eric and teleported away.

"Stupid, nosy, meddling mutant…" Kevin muttered. "Sel…"

Selana cut him off. "I'll rent a room next door. You try to get Katie out of there, and…if…well, if you still…like her…it's okay…just tell me." She left quickly, before Kevin could respond. He sighed and returned to Katie's door.

"I told you to leave!" she shouted as she burst out of her room with the gun trained on Kevin. "Get out!"

Shocked, Kevin took a couple of steps backwards. "Katie, I know you're upset, but I don't want to leave you alone. I'm worried about you…please, put the gun down…Katie, I'm not going to hurt you…"

He continued on in that way for a short while, and by the time he ran out of things to say, tears were dripping from Katie's chin and her hands were shaking. She dropped the gun and leaned back against the wall. Kevin touched her shoulder, but she flinched back and slid to the floor. Her legs hugged to her chest, her face buried in her knees, Kevin's heart ached just watching her. He sat next to her and pulled her to his chest. At first, she resisted, but finally gave in and eventually cried herself to sleep in his arms.

Selana had managed to rent an apartment near Kiara's that was at least on the same floor. It wasn't that far away, but she couldn't get one that was next door. She was just about to get into bed when she heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was Kevin, she raced to get to the door. She didn't think he'd be coming back; it was pretty obvious to her that he liked Kiara more. So she wasn't that surprised to see the mutant.

"Oh, Kurt…" She tried to smile as she invited him in. "What did you do with—wait, I really don't want to know. What do you want?"

"I don't mean to be abrupt, _fraülein_…I know you hardly know me." He smiled uneasily. "But I was wondering if I could spend the night. I would ask Katie, but she needs her time alone."

"Um, sure." Selana was more than a little confused. "I thought you had a place…"

"After Melody died—"

"I understand." Selana was a master at analyzing people. Within a few seconds she could learn novels about a person. Most of her work for Eric was business-like, and she had to teach herself to read people just by their actions and choice of words. If anyone were being dishonest or untrustworthy, she would report to Eric.

She could tell that Kurt was being honest…for the most part, anyways. He seemed like he was hiding things, but everyone has something to hide. She had noticed a while ago that he didn't seem to care that he was a mutant…he might even enjoy it; Sel couldn't think of any reason why he wouldn't like the way he looked (she certainly liked how he looked). It only took her a few moments until she decided to let him stay. She sighed. "It's only a one bedroom apartment, and I don't think Kevin will stop by…he's keeping Kiara company. I hear the couch is comfortable, though," she said, smiling.

Kayla woke up in her own bed, although she didn't realize that at first. She rolled to the edge of the bed, blanket wrapped tightly around her, and hoped Eric would leave her alone this morning…a few seconds later, when she didn't feel Eric's arms pull her back, she remembered what had happened and knew she was safe. Suddenly, she was so overwhelmed with relief that she was bawling again.

When the tears subsided, she headed out to the kitchen. On the way, she passed the living room, where Kevin lay curled up on the couch. She ruffled his hair affectionately as she passed—and he, waking with a start, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Previously, she would've giggled or something. Now, she jerked away and stared at him fearfully, recent memories replaying themselves, and then turned away quickly and hurried into the kitchen. Kevin followed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"

Kayla shook her head. "It's…it's not your fault. I…" She paused and opened the cupboards, quickly changing the subject. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Suddenly, with a loud _bamf_ and the acrid smell of sulfur, Kurt and Selana appeared in the kitchen. "Eggs would be nice," Kurt said with a smile. "And pancakes, and French toast, and bacon, and sausage…"

"How about cereal?" Kayla suggested. "I haven't been here for nearly three weeks…"

"Cereal sounds good," Kurt said as he sat down at the table.

"Okay, but you don't get anything until you promise to use the door from now on," Kayla stated.

"Deal. What kind of cereal do you have?"

The group, sans Kayla, ate breakfast quietly. She knew her eyes were red, her hair was messy, and her clothes were wrinkled, so she decided to shower right away (despite her growling stomach). She came out much refreshed, although she couldn't wait to get everybody out of her apartment. She just wanted some time alone…but no matter what, one person always stayed with her when the others left. After breakfast on this particular day, Sel took Kevin to their new apartment and Kurt stayed with Kayla.

"Kev, we really need to talk," Selana said as soon as she closed the door to their apartment.

"What about?"

"Kiara." Selana noticed that Kevin's playful expression changed quickly to a darker one.

"What about her?"

His faked ignorance was bugging her. "I've said it before…but…I know you like her more than me—"

Kevin shook his head. "That's not true. I just wanted to make sure she was okay last night…I slept on her couch, Sel. Besides, she's not interested in any relationships right now."

"Kevin, I'm not going to be your girlfriend if you really don't like me. Just because Kiara isn't interested doesn't change how you feel. I was with Nick, remember."

"But Nick actually cheated on you! How can you compare me to him?" Kevin asked pleadingly.

"Is it any different if you're always thinking of someone else? I don't want to be used, Kevin."

"Used!" He practically laughed. "I'd never use you! I still can't believe you're comparing me to Nick." He pulled Selana close. "If I ever lose interest in you, you'll know."

She wasn't completely convinced. "I've already begun to notice. I'm going to go out and buy some clothes for us…I've been wearing the same dress since we got here. Do you want to come with?"

"You know how I am about shopping!" Kevin exclaimed, laughing. "Go by yourself. You'll probably have more fun without dragging me along."

"So…you and Melody lived together," Kayla said.

Kurt nodded.

"How close were you to her?" Kayla continued.

"Um…" Kurt blushed.

"Did you sleep with her?" Kayla prodded.

"Well—"

"You pervert! Taking advantage of Mel like that—"

"_What_? If anything, _she_ was taking advantage of _me_! I tried to stop her, but when a pretty little girl likes you like that—"

"You're a pedophile, too! I can't believe this…"

"_Pedophile_? Where'd you get _that_ from?"

"You called her a _little girl_!"

"What I meant was 'little' as in 'dainty' and 'girl' as in 'younger than me'!"

Kayla shook her head. "Were you two making any long-term plans, or were you just letting your hormones have free rein?"

"For your information," Kurt sputtered, "we were planning to get _married_. If that's not long-term, I don't know what _is_."

"She was _pregnant_?" Katie nearly shouted, horrified.

"_What_? No! Of course not! Well, not that _I_ knew, anyway. I suppose it was entirely _possible_…"

"And you didn't even care to _ask_ her, did you, Blue Man?"

"Oh, so now we're back to _that_? Well, I'll have you know that I tried to take very good care of her, and I _did_ love her, whether you believe me or not." He sighed and glanced at the door. "I wish I could leave…but Kevin and Sel don't want to leave you alone."

They sat at opposite ends of the couch in an uncomfortable silence for a full half of a minute. Kayla, however, was starting to believe him, and she began to feel guilty. Finally, she couldn't hold it anymore. "I'm so sorry!" Kayla cried, tears coming again. "I just… So much has happened…"

By the time Kevin knocked on the door, Kurt was holding Kayla while she cried.

When Sel arrived back at the apartment that night with more shopping bags than anyone could count, it was obvious that tensions were running high between Kevin and Kurt. Selana didn't ask why, she just assumed, and had to admit that she was a little angry herself. She thought Kevin had been honest with her…

Though both Kevin and Kurt had volunteered to sleep in Katie's apartment, Selana decided that it was her turn. She hadn't really had a chance to talk with Kiara alone yet.

"Are you sure this is smart, Sel?" Kiara asked. "I don't think Kurt and Kevin like each other much…what if they fight?"

"I'm sure they will," Selana answered, grinning. "Boys will be boys." As a matter of fact, she wanted them to fight. Maybe Kevin would realize that he shouldn't be swooning over Kiara. Speaking of which, Selana wondered if Kiara was being ignorant to all of the attention or if she simply did not see it. Maybe she was still getting used to no Eric and didn't realize it.

Meanwhile, at Kevin and Selana's apartment, Kevin and Kurt were doing everything they could _not_ to fight. They tried avoiding each other, but that proved too complicated in the small apartment. Even so, they were desperate to not speak to one another.

Finally, Kevin got sick of sitting around and doing nothing (though he had tried to put away a few of the things Selana had bought) and decided to go to Katie's apartment.

"Going to follow Katie around some more?" Kurt asked sarcastically as Kevin headed for the door.

"What do you mean? I'm going to see Sel. It's boring around here."

"Right," Kurt scoffed. "I know you're attracted to Katie. It's pretty obvious."

"You are, too!" Kevin accused, growing angry.

He shrugged. "She's a lot like Mel was. And unlike you, _mein freund_, I don't already have someone waiting in my bed."

"Leave Sel out of this! It's not better for you! One sister dies, so you move on to the next."

Kurt glared at Kevin. "Fine. Let's both go to Katie's and see who she likes best."

They pounded on Kayla's door, and Sel rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to let them in?"

Kayla sighed. "If you don't, Kurt will teleport in."

As soon as Selana opened the door, both men stormed in to pose in front of Kayla (or it looked like they were trying to pose, Sel thought with a giggle).

"Who do you like more?" Kurt demanded.

"Me or the mutant?" Kevin nearly shouted.

"Um…do I have to pick?" Kayla asked shyly, glancing at Sel for backup. Sel gave her a look that clearly said, 'Leave me out of this.'

"Yes!" the two men shouted simultaneously.

Kayla bit her lip. "But…I've been thinking…what if I don't like either of you?"

Kurt looked crestfallen; Kevin looked horrified. "You…it's not Eric, is it?"

Kayla nearly slapped Kevin. "Why are you two so interested in me, anyway? What's wrong with Sel?"

"Well…you play hard-to-get, and she doesn't," Kevin stated.

"I've never seen her in a silk bathrobe," Kurt added, smiling.

Kayla did slap Kurt that time. "As I thought: both of you just want to get in bed with me. Well, screw yourselves! That's the closest you'll ever get to having me." She stormed past them, throwing her door wide open. "Get out. And Sel, their apartment will be full enough without your stuff; you might as well move in with me."

"Yeah, I might as well…" Selana said darkly. "I'd better get all of my stuff from my apartment. I'll go right away." She hurried out the door before Kiara could say anything. As she walked over to her old apartment, she couldn't help but admit to herself that she was not only angry with Kevin and Kurt, but Kiara, too. What made her so special that everyone loved her? Kevin had gone so far as to call her loose! If anything, she was the opposite. She never flaunted her beauty like some girls did…in fact, until she'd met Kiara, Nick was the only boyfriend she'd ever had. Sure, in high school, there were always three or four guys following her around, but she'd only had eyes for Nick. She was used to attention from men…she'd even enjoyed watching them fight over her, to an extent. But now everyone wanted Kiara. She almost wished that she had never met Kiara. Everything was fine before she came along. Sure, Nick had been cheating on her, but ignorance is bliss, right? And how he'd acted around Kevin…he was desperate for her. Shame that he was gone…

Sel knocked on the door. It was opened instantly, but the sad look on Kevin's face when he saw it wasn't Kiara only managed to make her angrier. "I came to get my things," she said as calmly as she could.

"Oh…look, Sel, I—" But she just walked past him, bent on ignoring him as long as she was forced to stay.

She went into the bedroom and started to stuff all of her new clothes back in the bags.

Kayla was actually thinking along the same lines as Selana. Why _did_ all of the guys around fall in love with her? It wasn't like she was casting a spell on every guy she walked by…was it? Come to think of it, she _did_ use 'Love Spell' perfume from Victoria's Secret… Well, now she was just being silly. Her perfume had nothing to do with any of this.

Sel walked in just then, with Kurt and Kevin tailing her (under the guise of carrying her bags—in reality, they were both looking pleadingly at Kayla). "Put those over there," Sel directed them, pointing to a corner next to the couch. They followed her instructions meekly, and Kayla was led to wonder what kind of a tongue-lashing Sel had given them. They left as quickly as they came. Sel plopped down onto the couch next to Kayla, and they sat there in silence for a few minutes.

"I've got it!" Kayla suddenly shouted.

"Got what?" asked Sel, looking at Kayla strangely.

"I figured out why all the guys like me!"

"Great. Now tell me, so I can start doing whatever it is that you do," muttered Sel sarcastically.

"Well…actually, I have no idea why they like me. But, coincidentally, every guy who's ever liked me had a 'k' sound in his name. Kevin, Kurt, Eric, Nick… And my name starts with a 'K'…maybe if I changed it to something else, like… I don't know… Ashley, or something." She giggled. "As if I haven't changed my name enough…"

Sel rolled her eyes. "Then _E_ric would still like you, and guys named _Aa_ron or _A_ndy or…well, you get it."

Kayla sighed dejectedly. "Sel?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being me. I've noticed how much I must bug you…and I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Sel looked at Kayla long and hard. "It _is_ annoying how guys are attracted to you like moths to light, but…I mean, you can't really do anything about that. It's not your fault…you just have some kind of aura, I guess."

"An aura. First I thought it was my perfume, then my name, and now it's my aura." Kayla sighed again. "Would you like to borrow my aura for, oh, say, the rest of my life?"

"I wish." Sel glanced over at Kayla, and finally voiced a question she'd wanted to ask for quite a while. "What do you want me to call you? Katie? Kiara? Kayla? I mean, it's confusing…which do you prefer?"

"Ashley," replied Kayla with a giggle. The girls looked at each other, and then both burst out laughing.

When they finally gained control of themselves, Sel voiced the question again. "No, seriously though, what should I call you?"

Kayla shrugged. "Whichever name you like best…I don't really care."

After a rather quiet supper (at least it seemed quiet without Kevin or Kurt there), the girls returned to the couch to watch TV and talk. Soon, the television got boring, and they ended up just talking over a tub of cookie dough.

"I wonder what's going to happen next," Selana said cryptically after a prolonged silence.

"What do you mean?" Kiara asked, obviously confused.

"Well, my life hasn't exactly been 'normal'…and it's been even weirder ever since I met you…"

"And?" Kiara pressed.

"Something else that's completely abnormal in the flow of life is bound to happen," Selana finished with a smile.

But Kiara wouldn't take that as an answer. "What if something doesn't happen? Would that be so bad?"

"Well…yes…" Selana sighed softly. "I believe in living life to the fullest…and I can't do that here…I don't like staying in the same place for long. Kevin was an exception; I actually thought I could settle down with him, but I guess that went down the drain. And I don't really like New York City, as it is. I'd like to go somewhere more interesting…I'd even be willing to let Kurt and Kevin tag along if they want. Anyways,"—Selana watched Kiara's face closely now—"you might want to come with me too. I could stay here for a few weeks…but after that, I need to find some life-changing event to entice my attention for more than a few minutes."

Kayla invited everybody out to dinner that night, to either celebrate their moving on or their separation. The dinner wasn't a fancy affair—Kentucky Fried Chicken isn't known for its glamour. But Kayla didn't particularly want to dress up, and nobody else really wanted to, either; blue jeans and t-shirts fit nicely into everybody's mood for the moment.

"Cities have never agreed with me," Kayla started once everybody was done eating. "And I've never been one for a boring, day-by-day lifestyle." She glanced over at Sel, who recognized where the conversation was heading. "For this reason, Sel and I will be leaving soon." Kevin opened his mouth to speak, but Kayla stopped him. "Wait and let me finish. The way I see it, you two guys have two choices. Kevin, you still have a job back home, and Kurt still has one with the X-Men, right?"

"It's more like a hobby than a job," Kurt commented.

"I can quit whenever…" Kevin stated.

"Anyway, you can go back home, if you want, or you can come with Sel and I."

"I'm in," Kevin said.

"Me, too," added Kurt.

Kayla looked at Sel again, and Sel nodded for her to continue. "All right, then I've got a few rules for you guys. Number one: I am _not_ available right now. Don't even think about it. I don't want you guys following me around or anything—stay out of my hair. And don't ignore Sel…she and I are friends, and if you treat her like crap, I treat you like crap."

"When have we treated her like crap?" asked Kurt.

"You haven't; Kevin has," replied Kayla.

"_What_? When have I ever—"

"Let me refresh your memory," Sel said, cutting Kevin off. "Last night, you told Kiara that she plays hard-to-get and I don't."

"That doesn't mean anyth—"

"You called me a _slut_!"

"I—_what_? That's not what I meant—"

"What _else_ is that supposed to mean?"

"I—"

"Dude, Kevin, stop while you're behind," said Kurt. "You're digging your own grave." Kevin glared at Kurt, but shut his mouth.

"I'd like to know something," Sel said to Kurt, ignoring Kevin. "If Kiara's finished," she added.

"Go ahead. That was about it for me," said Kayla.

"Good. Ok, Kurt, what exactly did you _do_ with Eric and Nick?"

"I—well, ok, it's kind of weird—" started Kurt.

"Just tell me."

"But it's kind of hard to explain—"

"If you keep trying to avoid explaining, it will be."

"Well…I sent them to the Abyss."

"_What_?" chorused Kayla, Sel, and Kevin.

"My half-brother can teleport things to the Abyss, and since I couldn't just let them go or anything…"

"Wouldn't it have been _nicer_ to just kill them?" asked Kevin incredulously.

"I'm pretty sure that would've sent them there, too," replied Kurt, his lips twitching as he tried to keep from smiling.

"So…they're not dead?" asked Kayla.

"I'm not sure about that," said Kurt. "I personally know somebody who's lived in the Abyss since Biblical times, and he lived for quite a while…"

"They're going to live _forever_ down there?" asked Sel.

"Maybe…if that person doesn't kill them…I'm not sure. Maybe they'll age and die down there, and then their souls will stay there or something. I don't know."


	8. Chapter 8

After they got back home, Kiara and Sel wasted no time and began to pack right away. Needless to say, they were both very excited to be leaving soon. Kiara was happier than anyone; the apartment held memories of Eric that she didn't care to remember for much longer.

"Where do you want to go?" Selana asked vibrantly. "We can go anywhere you want. Europe, Rome, Japan, the Caribbean—"

"Slow down, Sel! I'm sure we couldn't go to _all_ those places…I know we have a lot of money from the robberies, but I don't want to spend it right away. Shouldn't we stay _in_ the U.S.?"

Selana laughed. "Nope. I actually think it would be better if we _left_ the states. And don't worry. We have an unending supply of money…now that Eric's gone, I have access to all of his hard-earned cash…which I'm sure is well over a few million. And if we ever _happen_ to run low, I'm sure some of Eric's old clients would be willing to do business again. I dealt with most of them, anyways. They don't have to know that Eric isn't here." She smiled mischievously.

"What did Eric do, anyways?" Kiara asked her curiously.

Sel shrugged. "A little bit of everything, I guess. I don't even know what _I_ was doing for him, sometimes. Some things I wasn't involved in, but I did a lot of stuff for him. I met with a lot of his clients to get money and things. I robbed stores, banks…anything." She thought for a moment, then, blushing, added, "He used me a lot of the time to…persuade clients to stay in business with him."

"So…" Kiara started, a little confused, "you don't even know what he _did_? So how are you supposed to get money for something you don't even know about?"

"Eric had a _lot_ of power. I'm not even sure if _he_ knew how he got some of his money. He was in control of a ton of wealthy businesses…ones I guess I should try to stay in control of now, if we want steady cash…I know that he didn't meet with any clients often; he usually left that to me, and I didn't see people that much, but he just keeps them so scared that they keep giving him money." Selana paused from stuffing clothes into suitcases. "I guess since he's gone now, I should take control, right? No one would really know he's gone since he didn't deal with people face to face…I just don't know if I want to keep wandering into things that are illegal…I wouldn't want to get caught. I mean, it can be fun, but all this business stuff could very well drive me insane…" She looked to Kiara to see what she would say. When she didn't say anything right away, she smiled and asked again, "So where do you want to go?"

"How about somewhere in the Caribbean? I haven't been there in a while," suggested Kayla.

"Great idea! But I'll need a new swimsuit," Sel commented.

"Me, too. And I bet the guys do too, although they don't know it yet." Kayla winked at Sel, who giggled.

"Swimsuit shopping it is, then! Onward and forward!"

Kevin and Kurt were less than enthusiastic about being dragged to the mall—until they found out what the girls were shopping for, that is.

"Swimsuits? Sweet! Are you going to try them on and model for us?" Kevin asked jokingly.

Kayla hit him on the arm. "Get your mind out of the gutter! And besides, we'll only model for you guys if _you_ model for _us_."

Kurt glanced at Kevin. "Think we can do that?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I can pull it off," replied Kevin, sticking his chest out and swaggering (to the amusement of Kayla and Sel). Ever since Kayla had dumped both guys, they'd come to dislike each other less and less. They actually came close to getting along now.

To increase the fun factor of the shopping expedition, the girls picked out swimsuits for the guys to try on, and vice versa. Everybody was allowed to refuse to try a particular swimsuit, and everybody exercised that right. Kurt refused a Speedo; Kevin refused a thong; Kayla and Selana both refused itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny bikinis. When it came down to closing time for the mall, the guys voted on the swimsuits they liked best on Kayla and Sel, the girls voted for Kurt and Kevin, the group made their purchases, and they all went home (to pack, make plane reservations, etc., etc.).

Finally, everything was set. Suitcases were packed, reservations made, and Kiara and Sel had even gone so far as to tell the owner of the apartment complex that they weren't coming back, and gave him an extra $400 just because they were excited to be leaving. Kevin had sold his car to a bum at the mall for a price that was way too far under the resale value to be mentioned. It wasn't late in the evening when everyone was ready, so they ordered pizza while Kevin went out to get beer to celebrate.

After all the pizza and beer was gone, Kurt and Kevin went back to their room to catch a few hours of shuteye, but Kiara and Sel couldn't sleep. Kiara was simply excited to get out of that apartment, and the state, and Sel had never exactly been out of the country; there were some states that Eric wouldn't let her go to. They planned to stay up all night; they could sleep on the plane in the morning.

For a while they were able to keep themselves awake simply by talking, but soon they had to find something else. They unpacked and repacked their bags to make sure they had everything; they called Kevin and Kurt, but obviously they were both out cold because no one answered; and they finished off the rest of the cookie dough and went to a nearby store to get more. But though they thought that sugar would keep them awake, they ended up falling asleep on the couch, each clutching their own tub of cookie dough.

In the morning, both Kurt and Kevin were ready to go long before they needed to be. They'd set the alarm before going to sleep the night before, and even though it took a while to wake them up…at least they were awake. They were waiting outside Kiara and Sel's apartment with all of their bags, as was planned. But Kiara and Selana didn't show up.

"Maybe they left without us," Kurt suggested, yawning.

Kevin shook his head. "I don't think so…they could just be taking a while to get ready."

"They were ready last night. I would 'port inside and see if they're there, but if they aren't dressed or something…"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Go in anyways! At this rate, we'll miss the plane if we keep waiting. And anyways, I thought you _wanted_ to see Katie naked."

Kurt shrugged, but it was too hard for him to hide a smile. He teleported inside.

Kevin could hear Kurt laughing. Maybe Katie really was—

"Kurt, let me in!" Kevin shouted, pounding on the door.

Kurt opened the door, still laughing, and pointed over to the couch. There were Katie and Sel, sleeping on the couch, clutching containers of cookie dough like they were stuffed animals. Katie was still holding on to her spoon, and it was still half-full of cookie dough. Kevin couldn't help himself; he burst out laughing, too. This woke both the girls.

"Uh…we must have dozed off…" Selana said, blushing. But Kiara didn't care one way or another. She started eating her cookie dough again.

"Kiara, I just thought of something…" Selana said as they stuffed their bags and themselves into the two taxis Kiara had expertly flagged down. "Won't people get suspicious when we're all calling you different names? I mean…I call you Kiara, Kurt and Kevin call you Katie…and what's on your passport? We should start calling you whatever you have on there."

"Uh…Kayla, actually."

"How ironic. The name nobody calls you is the name you officially go by."

"Yeah, well…I _did_ change my name in the official, legal sort of way…so…"

When they reached the airport, Sel straightened the guys out about Kayla's name. They kept tripping up, though. At the airport's McDonald's, Kevin asked, "What do you want Katie—erm, Kayla?" Naturally, they got a few strange looks from that, and Kurt's presence didn't help. Most people had never seen the Nightcrawler before, and were understandably shocked when he walked by.

The plane flight was uneventful (unless you count the time the flight attendant fainted when she saw Kurt) and long. Long equals boring, and boring equals sleepy, so they all pretty much slept the whole way to the Caribbean. And then by the time they got there, it was midnight, and none of them were a bit sleepy! So they found their hotel rooms and partied.

Kayla and Sel locked the door connecting their room to the guys' room around 2:00pm, thinking that maybe they should try to rest a bit for the next day. The chances of them actually sleeping, though, were slim, and they ended up sitting around in silence for a little while before Sel spoke. There was a question that had been gnawing at her for a while, and she knew it would probably ruin all the fun they were having right now, but she had to ask it… "Kiara—er, Kayla, I guess—you, um…well, you've been kind of moody lately. Like, you'll be crying, and then you'll be shouting at Kurt or Kevin, and then you'll be hyper and bouncy and all over the place…and I was just wondering…would that have anything to do with what happened to you? With Eric, I mean?"

Kayla nodded, avoiding direct eye contact. "Probably."

"Then don't you think you should get it all out somehow? Like, by talking about it or something?"

Another nod. Sel waited for a minute before prompting her, "Do you want to talk to _me_ about it?"

She gave a hesitant shrug this time. "I…it was bad. That's it. I don't want to go into detail, and I'm sure you don't _want_ me to go into detail." She stopped for a minute, and Sel thought that was all Kayla was going to say, but then she continued: "He'd…he'd leave during the day for hours at a time…and when he came back, he'd have gifts for me…clothes, flowers, chocolate…and then at night…" A tear leaked out of her eye and trickled slowly down her cheek.

Sel reached over and hugged her. "It's ok, you're safe now…"

Kayla shook her head. "The…the day before Kurt came, I was supposed to have my period…and I didn't…I hoped maybe it was just late or something, but then Eric bought me a pregnancy test…"

"Oh my gosh…" gasped Sel.

"Don't…don't tell Kurt and Kevin. I don't want them to know yet…"

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, while Kayla wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Then, they ignored that subject completely and tried to go back to the way they were before this little talk. Sel vowed to herself that she wouldn't bring this up again unless Kayla mentioned it first…

For the next few days, Selana tried to have fun and forget about what Kayla had told her, but it nagged at her relentlessly. Kayla looked like she was having fun, but she was still moody, and Sel couldn't help but worry. What would their excuse be when the pregnancy started to show? Hopefully, Kayla would decide to tell the guys by then.

For the most part, all four did everything together, but there were times when everyone went off to do their own thing. Selana always followed Kayla around though. She knew she was probably getting on Kayla's nerves, but she just wanted to make sure Kayla was okay. She was always ready to get Kayla anything she wanted, whether it was a strange craving or just something she thought Kayla might need. At first, Kayla enjoyed the attention, but sooner than not it just got annoying to her.

Finally, it was the last straw. It was about 11 PM, and they'd all decided to split up. Kurt and Kevin were going to find a bar they hadn't been to yet, and Kayla just wanted some time to relax. Maybe she'd spend a while in the hot tub that was in their room. But first she had to get rid of Sel, who was walking beside her, trying to look like she was having fun.

"Sel, why do you keep following me around?" Kayla asked as conversationally as she could without sounding as annoyed as she felt.

Selana shrugged. "Well, you know why."

"I can take care of myself, you know." This time she couldn't help but sound a little angry. "Why are you so worried about me, anyways? You don't have to treat me any differently just because I'm…um…"

"I don't know!" Selana exclaimed. "I really don't know why I'm concerned…I just can't shake the feeling that this is all my fault. I mean, if I had known how to fly that helicopter, I wouldn't have crashed on your lawn…or if I had just listened to Eric before, you'd be dead—not saying that that's a good thing--I'd still be with Nick, and Eric would still be telling me what to do! I wish he still were…I really don't know _what_ to do anymore. I hate making my own decisions." She looked troubled.

"Look, Sel," Kayla started slowly. What could she say? _She_ certainly didn't wish Eric were around… "I need some time to myself. I'm just going to go back to our room and relax. Why don't you find Kevin and Kurt and try to have some fun instead of following me around? I really can take care of myself…I'll just be in our room."

"I guess…" She looked a little more relaxed. "As long as you stay in the room."

Kayla sighed in relaxation as she sunk into the hot tub. The lights were turned off, candles were lit, bubbles covered the surface of the water, and a calming CD played quietly in the background. All was perfect…except for one thing.

She had almost wanted an abortion when she first found out she was pregnant. Eric hadn't minded at all; if she'd asked for an abortion, he would've given her one, but if not, he would've been fine with that. But Kayla would've felt guilty about killing the baby when its existence was hardly its fault, and she'd decided to keep it. Now she wondered what she should do with it when it was born. She could keep it, but she didn't think that would be best for it, since it wouldn't have a father or a permanent home or anything…she could put it up for adoption, but chances are she'd get attached to it and wouldn't want to give it away. What to do, what to do…

Well, the obvious thing she should do first would be to tell Kevin and Kurt. Maybe that would actually lessen her appeal to them, somehow. Determining to do that the next day the guys were sober, she stepped out of the hot tub, dried off, and put on her terry cloth bathrobe (provided by the hotel). For the rest of the day, she'd stay in her room and watch TV, so Sel wouldn't worry about her.

"And she's probably gotten rid of it by now, but she _was_ pregnant before I got sent here," Eric said, completing his description of Kiara to his newfound companion, Azazel.

"She was _pregnant_?" Nick asked, astounded.

"Of _course_ she was pregnant, Nick. You must realize that I wasn't just keeping her around to _talk_ to," Eric said sarcastically, laying down a playing card.

"You devil," Azazel commented, smirking. "Pun intended."

Azazel was, essentially, the Devil—and Kurt's father. His appearance was the same as Kurt's, except his fur was red instead of blue. He had the same long tail, which ended in an arrow-type figure, the same three fingers on each hand and toes on each foot, and the same pure yellow eyes. He had decided against killing Eric and Nick when they arrived in Hell, and now they were sitting around playing cards, swapping descriptions and tales of the women in their lives.

"So, Nick, tell me about Selana."

Nick sat back in his chair, pondering his cards. "She was gorgeous…"

After a full half hour of searching for Kurt and Kevin, Selana finally found them. Unfortunately, they were both flirting with girls in bikinis. Selana didn't know whether to go over and talk to them or to steer clear and find something else to do. Though Kayla had made it clear that she didn't like them, it was pretty obvious that they both still liked her, and though Kevin was a lot nicer to Sel, it seemed pretty forced. But still, she'd rather get an annoyed look from Kevin than sit around by herself. She started over towards them when someone unexpectedly grabbed her arm. She whirled around.

"Excuse me, Miss," a man said, smiling, "I was wondering if you'd let me buy you a drink?"

He was handsome—very handsome. Short, spiky jet black hair; deep blue eyes…Selana glanced back at Kevin and Kurt. They were having enough fun without her. Besides, it wouldn't do her any harm to meet someone new. She smiled back at the stranger. "That would be nice."

They sat down at a table and he called over a waitress. They ordered drinks, and he turned back to her. "You're gorgeous, you know that?"

She'd heard it before, but she couldn't help but blush. She couldn't think of anything to say, but luckily the waitress came back with their drinks. She could have downed her martini right then and there.

"What's your name?" he asked as she took a sip of her drink.

"Selana," she said, and held out her hand. "And you?"

"Azazel." He took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he kissed it. "You have a beautiful name.

She blushed again. She was _sure_ that her face must be red. She stole a glance at Kevin and Kurt again. They hadn't seemed to even notice she was in the same room, and she doubted Kayla would mind if she was out all night…maybe it _was_ time to meet someone new.

Kayla had left the door between her room and the guys' room unlocked, so around midnight they came barging into her room. She didn't turn around to face them, so Kurt took the opportunity to look her over and whisper to Kevin, "I like the silk one better." Then he sat down next to her on the end of the bed. "So, where've you been all day?"

"Right here," Kayla responded, turning the TV off. "Or Sel would've been on my tail the whole day…for reasons that I want to tell you about." She looked over at Kevin. "You might want to sit down…"

He took a seat on her other side. "What is it? I've noticed she's been following you around a lot…"

"Well…" Kayla took a deep breath. "That's because…she and I had a talk a few nights ago…" She paused, not really wanting to say the next part.

"Hey, where is Sel, anyway?" Kurt asked. "I haven't seen her since this morning."

"She was with this one guy in the bar…anyway, Kayla, what were you saying?"

"I'm pregnant."

Both guys' jaws nearly hit the floor and their eyes nearly popped out of their skulls. "_What_?"

"You heard me," she said quietly, not looking at them.

"What—how—who—"

Kevin cut Kurt off. "Eric?"

Kayla nodded. Kurt got up and started pacing. "I should've let Sel kill that bastard—if I ever see him again—"

Kevin joined Kurt in plotting against Eric, while Kayla just sat there and watched them. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore, and she burst out laughing. They both looked at her strangely. "What's so funny?" asked Kevin. "That (insert cussing here) got you pregnant!"

Kayla shook her head. "You two are being so…I don't know…stupid about this! Eric's already been dealt with; there's nothing more you can do about him. And you like…hate each other normally, but now you're, like, joining forces or something against an opponent that doesn't even exist and…I don't know, it's just funny!"

Sel burst in just then, beaming. "You guys won't _believe_ what a great time I just had—what's going on?"

"Kayla's pregnant!" shouted Kurt.

"Oh, you told them?" Sel asked. "Well, anyway, I just met the _greatest_ guy ever—"

"How can you think of something like _that_ when we have such a huge crisis on our hands?" shouted Kevin.

Sel laughed. "What crisis? She's pregnant—big deal! She's only a couple weeks along, and I'd _hardly_ call childbirth a _crisis_!" She laughed again. "You guys are so funny…"

"That's what I was just telling them!" agreed Kayla. "So tell me about this guy you met!"

"Well, he's sweet, he's funny, he's handsome, he's—well, he's just _perfect_!"

Kurt and Kevin exchanged looks, shook their heads in defeat, and left while the girls continued chattering.

The next morning, Kevin and Kurt were waiting in the lobby of the hotel for Kayla and Selana so they could all go to breakfast together, as they had been doing every morning.

Finally, the girls came downstairs. Kevin found himself inspecting Kayla, seeing if there was any sign of a pregnancy. Obviously there wasn't, but…he could still hardly believe that she really was pregnant. It seemed like only yesterday that he was tickling her on the couch while she was trying to figure out where to rob next. Why couldn't it have been him?

"Well, you three," Sel said, jolting Kevin from his thoughts, "Hope you have fun at breakfast."

"What do you mean? Aren't you coming?" Kevin asked.

"I have a date," she announced, beaming.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Who is this guy, anyways?"

"I'm not telling. You didn't care to listen last night, so obviously it's not that important to you today." Her smile turned mischievous. "Kayla won't tell you anything, either."

Kayla looked surprised. "I won't? I mean…I won't!" She winked at Sel.

Selana's smile grew wider. "Well, I hate to leave this boring conversation, but my date is here to pick me up." She practically ran out the front doors. All three watched as her date gave her a small kiss and offered her his arm, which she took quickly.

"They seem a little too friendly to have just met last night," Kurt commented icily.

Azazel smiled to himself as he walked with Selana. She was everything Nick said she'd be. And she was _so_ beautiful. Eric must have raised her very well. The picture Nick had shown him just didn't do her justice, but he had known the moment he saw the photo that he _had_ to have her.

He wasn't at all worried about his son recognizing him, unless by name. In his current form, he looked completely human. Even if Kurt did somehow happen to recognize him, it was much too late to stop him from getting what he wanted.


	9. Chapter 9

After breakfast, Kayla asked, "Well, what do we want to do for the rest of the day?"

"Find out who Sel's dating," Kurt said.

Kayla smiled coyly. "Good luck with that."

"C'mon, you can tell us," said Kevin. "Or you can at least tell me, and I promise I won't tell Kurt…"

"Uh huh. Right. Like I'm dumb enough to believe that. Anyway, I was thinking—"

"Who _is_ it?" Kurt asked. "We're just curious!"

"You could've found out last night, but no, you two had to act like Sel and I were crazy and leave! I bet you talk about girls even worse than we talk about guys!"

"Really? For your info, we _rarely_ ever talk about girls. We might _think_ about them; we might make a _comment_ about them every so often; but we don't sit down and _talk_ about them like girls talk about guys," countered Kevin. "So, anyway, who is it?"

Kayla shook her head. "Anyway, I was thinking about going for a swim. What about you two?"

Kurt and Kevin exchanged glances. Even if Kayla _was_ pregnant, she wasn't showing yet, and thoughts of her in a bathing suit were running through both of their heads. "We'll come with."

Sel didn't return that night, the next morning, or the next night. Naturally, her friends were getting worried about her. "Where could she _be_?" wondered Kevin, pacing back and forth.

Kurt was thinking more logically, for once. "Kayla, maybe _now_ you can tell us who Sel was with."

"Azazel," said Kayla. "His name was Azazel. But Sel said he was really nice—"

"_Azazel_?" Kurt shouted. "She was with _him_? _Mein Gott_…I thought he was _dead_…"

"_What_? What's going on?" asked Kevin, confused.

But Kurt wasn't listening. "Azazel…we need to get to La Isla Des Demonas. _Now_."

"Why? What do you know about Azazel?" asked Kayla.

"I'll explain on the way, but there's no time for that now. We've got to go after him!"

After breakfast, Azazel and Selana had gone to the beach, just like Kayla, Kevin, and Kurt had…just on the other side of the island. Luckily, Sel had worn her bikini under her clothes. Sel really enjoyed being with him…it was pure fun, just like it had been with Nick. She even managed to completely forget about her worry over Kayla's pregnancy, and she didn't care if her friends wondered where she was. She decided that it was time to move on and stop reminiscing about Nick or wondering what it would be like if she was still with him, or thinking about how things would be if Kevin preferred her to Kayla. She had someone new now, and he treated her damn well better than Kevin or Nick had. She hoped Kevin was jealous…he deserved it, for the things he'd said about her. She was thinking these thoughts when she spontaneously threw her arms around Azazel and kissed him hard.

After a few minutes, he leaned back and smiled at her. "I'm going to take you to dinner."

"What? It's only 2 in the afternoon! We wouldn't have dinner until…6? Anyways…I'm all wet and salty and I have nothing to wear."

"We'll find something to do until evening…and you can buy something to wear, if you want."

Selana sighed, but she was still smiling. "I promised Kayla I'd meet them for dinner…but I'm sure they'll understand. I'll need to take a shower—"

"You can come back to my hotel room," Azazel suggested. "And we'll find some way to pass the time there."

She didn't miss what he was implying. "I'd like that…but first, I need to buy some clothes."

That night, after they had eaten dinner, Azazel revealed what he really looked like to Selana. She was shocked, but certainly not afraid. "You look like Kurt!" She exclaimed, staring at him.

He knew what she was talking about, of course, but he had to lie. "Your friend?" She nodded. "It must just be a coincidence, my dear…now tell me, do you want to spend the night?"

She smiled and him and answered, "Of course I do." He must be right; it was just a coincidence. It wasn't as if there was only one telepath in the world, so why couldn't there be someone else who looked like Kurt? But she couldn't help but wonder…

Azazel pulled her close and kissed her. He wanted her _so_ badly. Just feeling her body against his made him yearn for more. His hand found the zipper on the back of her dress, and he quickly took it off of her. He gently pushed her back on to the bed.

In the morning, Selana planned on going to find Kayla, Kevin, and Kurt, but Azazel managed to playfully coax her back into bed.

A few hours later, Sel was just relaxing in Azazel's arms, enjoying the moment, when suddenly he asked, "Would you like to come home with me?"

He'd completely caught her off guard. She sat up and stared down at him. "_What_? Go home with you? I can't just leave my friends here…I should go find them, anyways…"

He sat up, too, and hugged her from behind. "You don't need to find them; they're fine without you. And I only meant for a few days. I live in the Caribbean, you know, on a different island. You can stay with me for a week or so, and then come back here."

She shrugged. "I guess…shouldn't I at least tell them I'm going, though?"

"If you want, I will call your room and tell your friends that you'll be with me, while you go and get ready." Azazel said, smirking. Even if she agreed, he didn't plan on contacting anyone.

Selana smiled. "All right." She got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower, then. I'll be ready to go in an hour."

Just then, Azazel changed his mind. "Why don't you invite your friend Kayla to come with? I can throw a party tonight, invite my friends, and maybe we can hook her up with someone…"

Sel beamed. "Great idea! After I shower, we'll go find her." She started to close the bathroom door, but stopped. "Should I bring something fancy to wear tonight?" Azazel nodded, and Sel smiled again. "Then we'll have to take Kayla shopping before we go."

Kurt and Kevin had searched the whole island until night fell and they were forced to return to the hotel. While they were gone, Kurt explained to Kevin all about Azazel, but he forgot to fill Kayla in when they got home because he was so tired. The next day, the boys headed out again, leaving Kayla at the hotel with strict instructions to stay there. However, TV got boring after a while, and it was a welcome relief for her when somebody knocked at her door. She jumped up to answer the door, and was pleasantly surprised. "Oh my gosh! Sel! Kurt and Kevin have been looking all over for you! And I was so worried!" She hugged Sel, but then noticed the man standing next to Sel and stepped back. "Is this Azazel?"

"Yep!" Sel said. "He's throwing a party tonight, and we're invited!"

Katie smiled at him. "Thanks! But I'll have to call Kurt and Kevin—"

"No, they're not coming!" said Sel. "They'd ruin it! Just leave them a note, and then we can hit the mall—you're going to need a new dress for this!"

They had a great time shopping, and then they headed out to La Isla Des Demonas. Azazel acted as their tour guide. "And there used to be an archaeological dig here, but it mysteriously disappeared…"

They were standing on the edge of a crater. "Wow!" Sel gasped. "Maybe a meteor struck it or something…"

Azazel smiled. "Right this way, ladies—and watch your step." Carrying their shopping bags, he led them down the crater right to its center.

Suddenly, they were standing in a hallway. "Whoa…what just happened? Where are we?" asked Kayla, confused.

"We just stepped through a portal that leads to my home, which is where we are now," said Azazel reassuringly. "Dinner should be ready in less than an hour; you two can change in these rooms here." He directed them to their individual rooms and left them, smirking maliciously.

Servants were there to aid the girls in dressing up, but Kayla would only let them zip up the back of her dress. They also offered to do her makeup and put her hair up, and while she refused makeup, she was more than happy to let them do her hair. She finished getting ready before Selana, and happily surveyed her up do while one of the servants left to get her escort. In minutes the servant returned. "Your escort is waiting outside."

Kayla stepped out and met Azazel. "Hello," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. "That dress looks lovely on you."

Kayla blushed and thanked him for the compliment. The dress she wore was hunter green and strapless—she'd picked it out, and Sel had approved it.

"Come right this way, then," Azazel said, offering Kayla an arm. She took it, and he led her down the hallway to the dining room. There, she stopped and refused to go any farther.

Eric and Nick were seated at the table.

"What are _they_ doing here?" she asked in a low voice.

"Ah, Kurt must not have told you who I am," replied Azazel, smirking. "Well, I can assure you that they are in my control, and they won't bother you unless I let them. Now, come this way…"

Azazel started walking again, but Kayla wouldn't budge. "I will have _nothing_ to do with them," she hissed, releasing Azazel's arm. She was afraid now, very afraid, because she was beginning to understand _where_, exactly, the portal had taken her and Selana. "Where's Sel?"

"She'll be joining us momentarily," Azazel replied. "Are you coming?"

Kayla shook her head and turned quickly, running back down the hall as fast as she could (which wasn't very fast, given the high heels she was wearing). But a loud _bamf_ sounded in front of her, and suddenly Azazel was there. He grabbed her and teleported back to the table, pushing her into the chair to Eric's left and Nick's right.

"Ydrazil!" he called, and a huge man stepped out of a shadowy doorway. "Watch her, and keep her here." The man nodded and took his position behind Kayla's chair. She tried to stand up, but his hands were on her shoulders in an instant and she was forced back down.

Eric and Nick were watching this with amusement. "So nice to see you again, Kayla," Eric said, looking her over. "That's a beautiful dress. It compliments your hair." Kayla didn't respond, but stared straight ahead. A few tendrils of hair had escaped her 'do, and Eric reached out to brush them back, but she slapped his hand away.

"Don't _touch_ me," she hissed, glaring at him.

He laughed, and she heard Nick snigger on her other side. "Seems she doesn't know what trouble she's in," commented Nick. He leaned towards Kayla, putting his mouth right next to her ear, and whispered, "Welcome to Hell, Kayla."

Selana was waiting in her appointed room. She hoped she wouldn't be kept waiting for too much longer, because she was starting to get bored. She'd forced the servants out of her room; she didn't feel comfortable having people help dress her. Her dress wasn't all that difficult to get on, anyway. It was a tight-fitting black dress that cut low in front and back. The bottom of the dress angled up from mid-calf on her left leg to mid-thigh on her right.

Finally there was a knock at the door and it opened. Azazel smiled when he saw her. "You're so beautiful."

Selana giggled. "You always say that."

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. "But I mean it." He kissed her lightly, then released her, but kept his arm around her waist and began to lead her to the dining room. But when they got close to the doorway, she stopped short.

"Is that…?"

"Eric and Nick." He nodded. They were sitting on the left side of the table, Kayla in between them. Someone was standing behind her, obviously to make sure she didn't try to get away.

Selana could already feel Nick's eyes on her. "_What_ is going on?" she demanded.

"Please don't become angry, my dear," Azazel said reassuringly. "I'll explain everything soon." He continued to lead her into the dining room. Suddenly Selana put two and two together, and she knew where they must be. She wondered how to get out, if Kurt or Kevin would ever find them, and what in the hell she and Kayla were doing there, anyway. She wondered if Azazel was really as nice as he had been, or if it was all a trick. And who was he really? Eric never teamed up with anyone; Nick was more of an assistant than a partner.

Azazel seated her across from Eric, and sat at the head of the table.

"_Now_ will you tell me what in the hell is going on?" Selana asked angrily. It was obvious that she was in no mood to play games, but both Eric and Nick couldn't help but snicker.

"Nice choice of words, Sister," Eric said sarcastically, smirking. "You _are_ in Hell."

Selana glared at Eric, but soon turned her gaze to Azazel. If Eric was telling the truth, that meant that Azazel was…Satan? She'd slept with the Devil?

"_Please_, Eric," Azazel said, annoyed. "I'll do the talking."

Sel stole a glance at Kayla. She seemed to be doing okay…she just looked completely uncomfortable, and a little ticked off. Sel couldn't blame her.

Then Azazel told them everything. Who he was, his connection with Kurt, how he met Eric and Nick.

"So, what are _we_ doing here?" Kayla asked through gritted teeth once Azazel finished talking.

"Well, _you're _here for me," Eric said. "In return for all I've done for Azazel."

"And what could _you_ have possibly done for him?" Selana scoffed.

"I gave him you, of course," Eric answered slyly, smirking.

"_What_?"

Azazel sighed and glared at Eric. "Let me explain, Selana, before Eric opens his mouth again."

Unfortunately for Kayla and Selana, Kurt and Kevin were getting a drink at a bar to raise their spirits, since they'd (once again) found nothing out of the ordinary at La Isla Des Demonas. Then, naturally, a couple of girls started hitting on them, they drank some more, and by the end of the hour they were both dead drunk. They spent the rest of the day reveling in the earthly pleasures provided by the bar and the girls who'd sidetracked them.

The next day, Kurt woke up in Kayla's bed with one girl and Kevin woke up in his bed with another. They both had huge hangovers, but enough sense to send the girls away and clean up. Then a thought struck through Kurt's foggy head and became very clear to him: Why was Kayla not around? It was then that he found the note she'd left, and he nearly screamed with frustration when he saw it.

_Sel and I went to a party hosted by Azazel. We'll be back ASAP!--Kayla_

"What is it?" asked Kevin, who'd just gotten out of the shower.

Kurt thrust the note at Kevin. "Read this."

Kevin did, and gasped. "Oh no…he's got _both_ of them! Didn't you tell Kayla about him?"

Kurt shook his head. "I must've forgotten…_why_ did we go to that bar yesterday? Maybe we could've cut them off…"

"Stop thinking about what _could've_ happened and start thinking for _real_! We've got to get over there, now!"

"You don't _have_ to explain," spat Selana, glaring at Azazel. "It's all _very_ clear to me, now."

Just then, several servants arrived bearing food. Everybody dished up—everybody except for Kayla and Sel. "C'mon, you _must_ be hungry," said Eric to Kayla.

She glared at him. "I seem to have lost my appetite," she stated angrily.

He grinned. "Then I'll eat fast so we can leave." He started digging into his food, oblivious to the dirty looks both Kayla and Sel gave him.

Nick cleared his throat to get everybody's attention. "I don't mean to ruin all the fun, Azazel," he started, "but there are three of us and two of them. Are you planning on going back and getting somebody for _me_, or what?"

"Or what," answered Azazel. "I couldn't trust you with Sel, even if I was gone for just a short time. You and Eric can share."

Sel threw her plate at Azazel, but he teleported away just in time to avoid getting hit in the face. Eric glared at him. "That's out of the question."

Azazel shrugged as he teleported back to his seat. "Maybe, but that's the way it'll have to be. You and Nick can work something out, I'm sure."

"You _bastard_!" shouted Sel. "You can't _do_ that to Kayla! She's _pregnant_, for goodness sake!"

Eric looked at Kayla with renewed interest. "_Really_? I assumed you would've gotten rid of it, but—"

"I'm _not_ a murderer, unlike _some_ who don't deserve to be called _people_," countered Kayla.

"I'd rather have sex with Nick, anyways," Selana said bluntly, crossing her arms across her chest. Nick beamed at her. Azazel looked furious.

He stood and grabbed her arm. "Come with me."

"No!" she pulled away. "I'm not leaving Kayla here with these perverts!"

"All right," Azazel said. He could just teleport her away, but… "I promise you that nothing will happen to her while we're gone."

"I don't trust you," Selana hissed.

"_Fine_." Now he was a little angry with her. "She'll come _with_ us then. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes," Selana answered a little hesitantly.

Eric was on his feet now. "What are you doing? You can't just take Kayla!" he shouted.

Azazel ignored him. "Ydrazil, make sure Eric and Nick don't leave here. Kayla, if you would come with us."

Kayla quickly got up and followed Azazel, who was practically dragging Sel along with him. They stopped at the rooms that Kayla and Sel had gotten dressed in before.

"Please wait in your room, Kayla…I want to talk to Selana alone," Azazel said, opening the door for her.

Kayla complied; at least it was better than being with Eric. Azazel closed the door, and she heard the lock turn. Well, at least she was locked in somewhere safe, right?

"I don't _want_ to talk to you," Selana said in a low voice after Azazel had closed the door.

"You don't have to talk. You'll just listen," he replied. "Kayla will be safe in that room. Now, let me explain—"

"There's nothing to explain! I know what this is all about. You tricked me into sleeping with you, and now you can't get enough of it," She stated firmly.

"_Tricked_ you? You were more than willing."

"I didn't know who you were! I thought you were some rich married guy who was away from his wife on business and was looking for a summer fling. How was I supposed to know you were the…the devil?"

"That's nonsense. You are as attracted to me as I am to you."

"Are you saying that you _love_ me?" Selana asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"Why?"

He smiled. "You're perfect."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted. Does that mean I'm God's greatest mistake or something?"

"No," Azazel answered, laughing. "That's what I've been trying to tell you…God didn't create you."

"What?" Selana rolled her eyes. "If this is going to turn out to be a lecture on religion—"

"It isn't. I'm saying that you were created for me."

She hesitated. "Does that mean that anything I'm feeling for you right now is…destiny?"

"Yes," he replied, feeling relieved. Finally, she understood.

"Good," Selana said, her voice rising. "Because I'm feeling _pretty_ pissed off right now. I don't believe in _fate_, I don't believe in _destiny_. My life is _my_ life. No one decides what happens to me except for _me_. And if you think that just because you _tell_ me that I 'belong' to you I'll be perfectly happy and fall back into your bed with bliss, then you have to figure out another way to seduce me, because that _definitely_ will _not_ work."

Eric, tapping his fingers on the table, glanced up at Ydrazil. He was a mutant, like Azazel, and judging by his many scars, he was a good fighter. There was no way Eric and Nick could take him, not knowing what powers he might possess aside from his sword and musculature. Unfortunately, it seemed they might have to just wait for Azazel to come back.

And he did, shortly. "She is _so_ impossible!" he fumed as he stormed into the dining room. "Come with me…all of you." Then he turned on his heel and stomped off (a funny sight, considering how a three-toed person has to walk). Ydrazil, Eric, and Nick followed, not exactly sure what they were needed for.

Azazel stopped in front of one particular door after a short walk and pulled a key out of his pocket. "Kayla's in there. Knock yourselves out." He tossed the key in the general direction of Eric and Nick, smirking at the scramble that followed. "Ydrazil, don't let Kayla leave that room." Then he walked off.

Kayla glanced around at the room she was in. It had an adjoining bathroom, a king-size bed, a wardrobe, and nothing else. She slumped down in a corner as she heard a knock at the door. Hoping against hope that it was Selana, she called, "Who is it?"

"It's me," answered Eric. "Let me in."

Kayla didn't respond. She was locked in, he was locked out, and she was perfectly fine with that arrangement.

"Kayla?" Eric knocked again. "Let me in!"

Then she heard Nick's muffled voice outside the door. "You idiot; she's never going to just _let_ you in. You'll have to take her by _force_."

"Then hand me the key," said Eric.

Kayla's stomach seemed to shrivel up. She could practically hear Nick grinning as he said, "You had her for two weeks. It's my turn." During the fight that ensued, she hugged her knees to her chest and prayed that somehow Eric and Nick would kill each other and she'd be done with them. She knew, however, that chances were Nick would win the fight… Nick's muscles were huge and toned, but Eric was lean and wiry. Eric didn't stand a chance.

She heard the click of the door being unlocked and tensed, pulling her high heels off. She was in the corner nearest the door, so she shouldn't be spotted immediately… Nick walked in, glancing at the area in front of him, and Kayla didn't wait for him to notice her. She jumped up and dashed out, running headlong into Ydrazil. He caught her and held her up off of the ground with her arms pinned to her sides while Nick made his way back to the door.

"Let me go!" Kayla yelled, kicking wildly and, unfortunately, hitting Ydrazil where it hurt the most.

He yelled and dropped her, and when she started to get up, Ydrazil slapped her hard across the face, knocking her down again and temporarily stunning her. By coincidence, she landed in Eric's arms—after he and Nick exchanged a few blows, he'd realized he couldn't beat Nick. He decided it would be less painful to just wait his turn, and so he sat outside Kayla's door to wait.

"Don't hurt her!" said Eric angrily as he stood up, pulling Kayla up with him. Despite the bruise forming on her cheek, she looked beautiful, with her hair tumbling down around her shoulders. "Are you ok?" he asked her in a much softer tone, brushing her curls back behind her ear.

"Yeah… I'm fine," she said, slightly dazed.

"Good. Then hand her over," said Nick, standing in the doorway.

Eric did so, but reluctantly. "If you hurt her…"

Nick laughed as he took Kayla by the arm. "What're you going to do about it? I'm stronger than you, in case you've forgotten already, and I don't see anybody backing you up here." Still laughing, Nick steered Kayla into the room and closed the door behind him.

Eric muttered several curses, but slumped back down to his previous position while Ydrazil watched bemusedly. Eric glanced up at him. "I suppose you'll want a turn with her, too?" Ydrazil responded with a smirk. Eric groaned. "I should really start working out…"


	10. Chapter 10

Selana was waiting for Azazel to get back, trying to be patient. She was already angry with him, and waiting didn't make it any better. She'd never been patient, and now was a particularly bad time for her to be left alone. She _wanted_ him to be back simply so she could yell at him more. He had, in fact, not taken her back to the room she had dressed in. Instead, he took her to his personal quarters to talk. Of course, Selana wasn't interested in a mutual conversation; she was too angry for that.

Finally, Azazel returned. With someone else, by the looks of it.

"Who is this?" Selana asked, her anger plainly shown on her face. His name was Ydrazil, she remembered. Hadn't Azazel told him to watch Eric and Nick?

Before he answered, Azazel took a moment just to look at her. She was sitting on his bed, gripping the edge and leaning forward just slightly, giving him a lovely view down her dress. Her jaw was set, letting him admire the structure of her face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed with anger, but he recalled that they looked the same when she was excited. She looked fantastic...but that would be saved for later.

"This is your father, Selana. Ydrazil."

"You could be lying," she spat. "I never knew my father. He left my mother after she got pregnant with me. Eric knows who he was," she continued, "but I wouldn't believe anything he says, anyways."

Azazel sighed. "Ydrazil, you may leave. Go see what Eric and Nick are up to...and you can join in the fun, if you like." Ydrazil smirked and left, closing the door behind him.

Selana was on her feet in an instant. "You said that she'd be _safe_!"

"She _might_ be, if you would _listen_ to me!" he shouted.

She glared at him. "If you let them have Kayla, you'll get nothing from me."

"It's a little late for that."

"How could you let them _do_ that to her?"

"That's beside the point," he said, smiling. "If _you_ are willing, then _I_ might be willing to keep them away from Kayla."

"That's blackmail," she hissed.

"Do you think I care? Come on, Selana, if it weren't for Eric and Nick, you would still want to be with me." He was only inches away from her, and she didn't look so angry anymore. She couldn't help but admit that she was still attracted to him.

"Only if you help Kayla."

Kurt and Kevin didn't find anything in the crater—Azazel wasn't dumb enough to leave the portal open. Kurt did have an idea, however. His brother Nils had transported Eric and Nick to the Abyss…couldn't he do the same with Kurt and Kevin? The tricky part would be getting back out of the Abyss…

"Kevin, you wait here," ordered Kurt. "I'm going to need a few of the X-Men to help out on this one." Before Kevin could protest, Kurt had teleported away.

"Great. Just great," muttered Kevin. "_Now_ what am I supposed to do?" Just then, the air in front of him seemed to shiver. "What the…?" He reached out, and his hand disappeared! "Whoa…this must be the portal…" Kevin pulled his hand back out and glanced around. Should he wait for Kurt to come back? No, the portal might've closed by then… Taking a deep breath, he started to step through the portal and collided with Kayla.

"Kayla!" Kevin cried, hugging her tightly. "You're ok!"

He obviously hadn't taken a close look at her yet, which was fine with her. Just to spite Eric, Nick had beaten her, and Ydrazil probably would have, too, if Azazel hadn't intervened and ordered that she be released. Her hair was a mess, her dress was torn, and it felt like there wasn't a part of her that wasn't bruised. But she felt so secure in Kevin's arms, and it wasn't long before she was crying on his shoulder.

Kevin sank down to the dusty ground, pulling Kayla down with him. He cradled her gently, letting her cry, and it was then that he noticed the bruises on her arms. "Oh my gosh…Kayla, what happened?"

She shook her head, making it a point to not look at him so he couldn't see her face. "I…I'm fine. But Azazel still has Sel in there…we've got to get her out!"

Kevin shook his head. "'We' won't be doing anything. I'm taking you back to the hotel now. You need to rest—"

"No! I have to help Selana!" cried Kayla, forgetting to hide her face for the moment and looking up at Kevin.

He gasped when he saw her face; her cheek was now a dark purple. "What…did Azazel do that?"

She looked down quickly. "No…well, indirectly, I suppose…but I said I'm _fine_! We have to get Sel out of there!"

Eric watched Kayla disappear down the hall in frustration. He'd been so close... "How could you just let her _go_ like that?" Eric yelled at Azazel. "She was _barely_ here."

Azazel sighed. "I'm respecting Selana's wishes. Kayla doesn't matter to me."

"But she matters to _me_! Selana will never love you; she's too stubborn. Whatever she said is just a filthy lie. Kayla's gone for _nothing_."

Just then a door down the hall opened--Azazel's room. Selana stepped out in a bathrobe. "Are you coming, Azazel?" she said, smiling.

"I tell you, she's _lying_," Eric whispered to Azazel harshly.

Azazel ignored Eric and went to Selana, embracing her and kissing her gently. "Let's go inside."   
Eric watched them go back inside the room and shut the door. What he wouldn't give to just kill Selana right now...

Nick walked up behind him. "This is so unfair...I didn't get enough time with Kayla," he said bitterly. He _had_ liked being with Kayla--she was awfully beautiful--but his hands were itching to touch Selana again...

Selana sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at Azazel. "So, where's Kayla?"

"I let her go. She's probably back at her hotel room by now," he answered softly, sitting next to her and moving in for a kiss.

She pushed him away. "How do I know she's safe?" she asked firmly.

"Didn't you see Eric in the hallway? He'd be with Kayla if she were still here."

She sighed. "You're right, I guess." She began to untie her bathrobe, but Azazel stopped her.

"I'll do that, darling," he said, smirking, and slid his hand into her robe.

Eric wandered aimlessly around Azazel's castle, fuming. He had clearly seen the damage Nick had inflicted on Kayla, and it was only by sheer willpower that he kept himself from knocking Nick out. And he wasn't too pleased with Azazel or Ydrazil, either… He was actually considering helping Sel escape, just to spite Azazel—then he'd kill her and get Kayla back. Yes, that was the perfect plan…except he'd have to convert to Christianity afterward so he wouldn't end up back here with an angry Azazel.

"Eric! Stop!" somebody shouted behind him. Somebody he knew…

He turned around to face Kurt Wagner, stepping through a portal. And on the other side of the portal, he could see Kevin holding Kayla… Jealousy burned in his stomach, drowning out whatever Kurt was saying. He snapped back to reality when Kurt punched him, though.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked, getting up from the floor and rubbing his jaw.

"For hurting Kayla," Kurt growled. "Now where's Selana?"

"What? I didn't do anything to Kayla! That was Nick and Ydrazil—"

"Where's Selana?" Kurt asked again in a low voice.

Eric shrugged. "I'll help you find her, but on one condition…"

"I'm not making deals with you, scum!" shouted Kurt. "Where _is_ she?"

"Well, what do we have here?" asked Nick, rounding the corner with a smirk. "The mutant and the wimp!" Ignoring Eric's glare, he continued, "So, Blue Man, I'm assuming you're here for Selana."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I suppose you'll want to make a deal with me, too?"

Nick smirked. "I suppose I will."

"No," said Kurt. "No way. I'll find her myself." He started to walk off, but Eric thought of something and stopped him.

"I don't think you'll want a run-in with Ydrazil…"

Kurt turned and glared at Eric. "I can deal with him."

"You'll have enough on your hands with Azazel; he's really smitten with Selana. I propose that Nick keeps Ydrazil away while you and I fetch my _dear_ sister, and you will be _so_ grateful to us that you'll let us out of this _Hell_—pun intended."

Kurt shook his head. "I think I'm going to regret this, but…sure." He, Nick, and Eric shook on it, and then went off to play out their respective roles in the plan.

"C'mon, Kayla… Kurt will bring Sel back… You need to get back to the hotel…" murmured Kevin, stroking Kayla's hair. Poor Nils, whose stomach formed the portal to the Abyss, felt very much like he was intruding on a private moment now. Ex-villain Polaris, who was holding Nils' portal open, didn't mind so much.

Kayla shook her head. "I'm not leaving until I see that she's safe."

"Which hopefully won't be too much longer," interjected Nils. "This is pretty uncomfortable…"

Looking at Nils, whose stomach-portal was stretched large enough for Kurt to slip in, Kevin couldn't help but smile. "It looks it." He paused, and then asked, "Do you think Kurt's really going to let those two out?"

Polaris smirked. "He's got the heart in him, but I don't. They won't be getting out of there if I can help it."

Azazel nuzzled her neck and pulled her closer as she moaned in pleasure. "You're so perfect," he whispered softly in her ear. She didn't answer; she was still groaning and crying out, and he hoped she wouldn't stop too soon. He didn't care anymore if Eric was right, and she was faking. If she really was...it was worth it.

In fact, Selana wasn't pretending anything. She had to admit that Azazel was a good lover--better than Kevin and maybe even Nick. If she were going to be stuck with Azazel for the rest of her life, she certainly wouldn't mind it--especially this part. Of course, she still had a shred of hope that Kevin and Kurt would keep looking for her and try to help her, but part of her doubted they would. They both loved Kayla...so once they found out that Kayla was okay, they might completely forget that Sel was still in trouble. Kayla probably wouldn't want to get involved with this again, and even if she did want to help her friend, Selana knew that she didn't want Kayla involved.

Suddenly the door burst open. "Oh..._Gott_..." Kurt's voice.

Azazel quickly rolled off of her, and she scrambled to get the sheets wrapped around herself. Her face was already burning with embarrassment before she even looked up.

For the first few moments, Kurt just stared at her. She was breathing fast, her body glistening with sweat, her hair plastered around her face...and he had seen just a glimpse of her before she'd covered herself. He was shocked enough at what he and Eric had walked in on, but then seeing Sel...

"Get some clothes on, Sel," Eric ordered. "You're coming with us."

She began to obey, but Azazel grabbed her arm and pulled her close to himself. "No. She's staying here." He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her next to him.

"It's her own choice," Eric said. "Sel?"

Selana stared at Eric in shock. Was he on her side? What _was_ her side, anyways? She didn't know if she even wanted to leave. She stole a glance at Azazel. She was _still_ attracted to him, whether she cared to admit it or not. Was it really destiny? "I--"

"Please, Selana," Azazel whispered to her, "don't leave." He caressed her cheek lovingly and drew her into a kiss. Selana wished that Eric and Kurt weren't there, so she and Azazel could continue what they were doing before.

Eric just rolled his eyes and wished that Selana would listen to him, but Kurt reacted differently. In a moment, he ripped Azazel away from Sel and punched him in the jaw. Then he turned back to Selana. "Are you okay?"

"Uh...yeah," she said, obviously a little confused. But even so, she got out of the bed, still holding the sheets up to cover herself, and got all her clothes off of the floor, putting the robe around herself for the time being. Eric beckoned her over.

"Come with me," he told her, and headed out the door.

She didn't follow. "What about Kurt?"

"I'll be fine, Sel," Kurt said, smiling. "I'll keep Azazel away while you leave. I'll catch up later."

Selana nodded and followed Eric out the door.

"Sel!" shouted Kevin, and Kayla jumped a bit. It _was_ the middle of the night, after all, and it would seem that she'd dozed off. It was a light sleep, however, and in the next second she'd jumped up and was hugging Sel hard.

"I'm so glad you're ok!" she finally said, letting Sel go. "I can't _believe_ we both fell for Azazel's tricks… But now we can go home, and—" She stopped, looking around, and took a step back when she saw Eric step through the portal. "Where's Kurt?"

"He'll be coming, soon," said Sel, a little uncomfortable in just a robe with strangers around. "He was detaining Azazel so I could escape…"

Kevin interposed himself between Eric and Kayla. "You and Sel, get back. Polaris, get ready. Eric, I hate to say this, but I might need your help in this…" His jaw was set, and he was staring determinedly into the portal.

"Why? What's wrong?" asked Kayla, looking over Sel's shoulder into the portal. "Oh, no…" she breathed. Nick was making his way down the hall to the portal, but Kurt was nowhere to be seen. Kayla wasn't quite so frightened of Eric now, since he _did_ seem to care about her a little, but Nick… The wounds he'd inflicted on her were more than emotional, and they were still fresh. "You…you're not going to let _him_ through, are you?" she asked anxiously.

Sel suddenly noticed Kayla's bruises. "Oh my gosh! What _happened_ to you?" Before Kayla could respond, Sel had rounded on Eric and slapped him. "You—"

"Sel, stop!" shouted Kayla. "It wasn't him!"

"Well, then who was it?" asked Sel, but then it dawned on her. "Nick… But he's never hurt _me_ before… I didn't think he was capable of that…"

Eric shrugged. "Jealousy can do that to a person. Speaking of which, here comes the Blue Man."

Just then, Kurt showed up in the portal, running as fast as he could down the hall. He shouted to Nick to hurry up and quickly passed him. Azazel appeared then, just in front of Nick, wearing nothing but his boxers and an expression of such rage that Kayla took another step back.

"Kurt! Hurry!" shouted Kevin, shooting a worried look at Polaris. Kurt teleported again to just in front of the portal, but Azazel was just behind him, and both tumbled out of the portal. In the confusion that followed, Kayla and Sel retreated to a safe distance while Nick also came through, and he, Eric, Kevin, and Kurt, were finally able to push Azazel back into the portal, which Polaris released and Nils rapidly closed.

"Is everyone okay?" Kurt asked, glancing around at all of them, but making a point to linger on Sel and Kayla. They'd been through a lot. Everyone either nodded or murmured an answer.

"So, Sel," Nick said lustily, smiling at her, "now that we're out of there, how 'bout we get back together and-"

"Shut _up_!" Selana practically screamed at him. "I _hate_ you. When are you going to realize that? I just want to go back to the hotel and sleep." She hugged herself and pulled the robe tighter, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Why did you even get their help, anyways?" Kayla asked Kurt, eyeing Nick and Eric warily.

"It was the quickest way to get Sel out...and they _were_ good help. But still, I guess we should get rid of them." Without another word, Kurt simultaneously knocked out Eric and Nick before they had a chance to defend themselves.

"Well, what are we going to do with them this time?" Kevin asked. "They're like pests that won't go away..."

"I'll deal with them," Polaris interjected, smirking. "I'll take them back to the Institute, and I'm sure we'll think of someplace safe to put them."

"Great. Let's go, then. I'm tired," Selana said dully.

Kevin and Kurt escorted Kayla and Sel back to the hotel, and though they didn't want to leave the girls alone, it _was_ late, and they probably wanted some time to themselves. That, _and_ the fact that the girls had kicked them out of their room and locked the door joining the rooms.

Selana wasted no time in changing her clothes and crawling into bed. Kayla was a little less quick to sleep, though. She could already tell that Sel was acting differently, and it bothered her.

"Sel? Are you asleep yet?"

"No. What?"

"Do you...do you want to talk about what happened?" she asked. Kayla knew that Sel would feel a lot better if she did...she knew she had after Eric. And not only was she interested in what happened to Sel, she also wanted Sel to listen to her.

"No," Selana answered stiffly.

"Are you sure? You'll feel better," Kayla assured.

"Yes. I'm exhausted. I just need sleep."

Kayla sighed, disappointed. "All right." She then turned off the last light and slipped into her own bed.

The next few days they spent confined to their rooms for the most part. None of them really wanted to do anything special, anyway. They ordered room service for meals, with the occasional pizza or Chinese. Kayla's bruises and scratches from Nick were healing very well, and her emotional wounds were healing, too. But she worried about Sel. Selana was acting very much the way Kayla had after Eric. She had awful mood swings--sometimes she would act like herself, and the next minute she was yelling at everyone for no reason--but mostly she was distant or angry. Kayla tried to get her to talk about what had happened, since none of them really had any idea what went on between Azazel and her, but to no avail. She also tried to get Kevin to talk to Selana, but Kevin couldn't get anything out of her, either. Finally, Kayla talked Kurt into spending the day with Selana while she and Kevin stayed in the other room.

"What do _you_ want?" Selana demanded the moment he stepped through the door. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching TV and flipping through the channels, but it was obvious that she wasn't interested in watching anything.

"I want to talk to you," he answered uneasily. He was positive that she wouldn't talk to him--why would she, after her best friend and ex-boyfriend had already tried?

"There's nothing to talk about," she replied simply, but turned off the TV. Good sign. She might, at least, be willing to listen.

"Yes, there is. Kurt sat down next to her and decided to be blunt. "You've been acting really strange lately, Selana, and we all know why. So just tell me what happened and I'll try to help you get over it."

"I _can't_ tell you," she said, staring at her hands.

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand..." She finally looked up at him, her emerald eyes searching his. She looked so helpless...

Suddenly, he leaned over and kissed her, putting an arm around her waist to hold her close. He caught her totally off guard. For a moment, she just sat there, shocked, then began to return it...but changed her mind and pushed him away. "What are you _doing_? I _thought_ we were just _friends_," she hissed.

"I did, too...I'm sorry, Sel, it's just...you looked so..." He stopped for a moment, trying to think of how to say it. "Selana, I've had a lot of feelings for you the past few days--"

"Everyone has feelings," Selana interrupted. She could hardly believe she was hearing this.

"But I was _so_ worried for you...You saw how I reacted when Azazel kissed you."

She looked uncomfortable. "You barely know me."

"I'd like to learn," Kurt answered, grinning.

"I'm not interested in any relationships."

"Why not? Is it something to do with what happened with Azazel?"

"No...yes...kind of."

"Just tell me, Selana," he pleaded.

She hesitated, just for a second. "I liked him."

"What? Who? ..._Azazel_?"

"Yes." She was staring at her hands again, afraid to look at him. "And...I...I was going to stay with him..."

Now Kurt could hardly believe what he was hearing. "You wanted to _stay_ with him?" he asked sadly.

"Yeah. But...he told me this weird destiny thing...that we were meant to be together or something, and...I'm starting to believe that was true. I really miss him."

"After everything that happened...what he did...you _like_ him?"

She smiled a bit. "You assumed what happened. Everything that went on between us--what you walked in on--all of it was consensual. Not like what happened with Kayla. And...Azazel treated me better than anyone _ever_ has. Sure, I was angry about the whole kidnapping thing, and about Eric and Nick...but he still treated me right. He really cared about me. Look, I'll try to stop acting like a wreck...I've just never really felt this sad and lonely before."

"I can't believe this," Kurt said, shaking his head.

"Kurt, even if you don't believe me, _please_ don't tell Kayla of Kevin. They won't understand...just like you don't."

Kurt sighed. "I guess I'll just tell them you didn't say anything. Anything sane, anyways."


	11. Chapter 11

Kevin and Kayla were sitting around watching TV—or pretending to watch TV, anyway. Kayla had been very withdrawn recently, coming out of her shell only because she was worried about Sel, and now she was just staring off into space. Kevin thought he should probably try talking to her, just so she could let whatever was bothering her out (and maybe to rekindle the relationship between them). "Kayla?"

She stirred from her reverie and looked over at him. "Hm?"

"Is something bothering you?"

She shook her head. "I'm just worried about Sel…I mean, I know this'll sound crazy, but she really _did_ like him—Azazel, I mean—and he really liked her… If he hadn't brought me along with her, she probably would've been more than willing to stay with him."

Kevin stared at her. "You can't be serious."

"I am. The heart is a funny thing…" She lapsed back into silence.

Kevin tried to focus on the TV, but couldn't. "Something else is bothering you, though…"

Kayla smiled a little bit. "Well…I don't want to stay here forever…I'm still pretty partial to the United States…"

"You want to go back?" he asked. He could understand this, seeing as they were still close enough to La Isla Des Demonas that if Azazel got out somehow, they'd be in danger.

Kayla shrugged. "Yeah, I do…I don't care where, but I just want to go back. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, where nobody we know would think to look for us, or somewhere in the middle of everything, where nobody could find us…"

Kurt came in then. "She wouldn't talk to me," he lied smoothly. His disturbed expression gave him away, but Kayla didn't say anything about it, so Kevin decided not to, either. Instead, he told Kurt what Kayla had told him.

"Oh. Well, I think that's a good idea, actually. We've got to get Sel out of here…it's not safe here, not so close to La Isla Des Demonas." Again, it was obvious that something was on his mind, something he wasn't telling them, but Kevin didn't press the issue.

"I'll go tell Sel," offered Kayla, getting up and heading to the other room.

There _was_ something else on Kayla's mind—several things, actually. First and foremost, she didn't feel safe anymore, and she wanted some kind of protection—somebody who wasn't interested in a relationship with her, unlike Kevin and possibly Kurt (although his attention was rapidly shifting towards Selana). She thought she could possibly find such a person in the U.S., maybe by putting an ad in the classifieds.

Secondly, the knowledge that Eric and Nick were still around weighed heavily on her mind. This, of course, tied into the protection thing, and the sooner she could get into some sort of kickboxing or karate class, the better she'd feel.

Finally, her pregnancy was bothering her. She was afraid—and hopeful, at the same time—that the abuse she'd suffered at Nick's hands had damaged or killed the baby. She felt guilty about her conflicting thoughts on that issue, because it certainly wasn't the baby's fault that it came into being, and to wish for its death because of its father…

The quartet ended up in Bismarck, North Dakota. The airport was the smallest they'd ever seen, and they had to laugh amongst themselves at the slight Canadian accent present in some of the natives. Everybody was so friendly, which was quite a shock from what they were used to. Everything was cheaper than what they were used to, too. They settled into new apartments, and Kayla entered her ad in the paper (hoping that Kurt, Kevin, and Sel wouldn't read the classifieds):

**Bodyguard needed!**

Must be tall, strong, and willing to believe an unbelievable story.

Call (701) 663-1234 if interested.

"This is ridiculous!" Selana exclaimed as they headed to breakfast one morning. "We haven't even been here for a week and I'm already bored as hell. There's nothing to do in this hic town...who decided to come here, anyway?"

They all smiled at her attitude. After Kurt had talked to her, she seemed pretty much the same. They didn't bring up La Isla Des Demonas anymore, and Sel didn't talk about it, either.

"C'mon, Sel, I'm sure you'll find _something_ you like here," Kayla assured. And she really hoped that Sel would find some reason to stay. She wanted to stay long enough for someone to answer her ad...

She shook her head. "I don't think so...I never really liked small towns. Are we going to stay here long? I'd rather be in Chicago or...Wisconsin."

"But you told me that you hated big cities!" Kayla said.

"I just haven't found a place I like yet," Selana answered, shrugging.

"Well, how about we go to a movie tonight? Then you won't be as bored," Kurt suggested, smirking.

"I don't think so," she replied, shaking her head. "There's probably nothing good on, anyway."

She'd been rejecting his offers for days, even if he invited Kayla and Kevin along. But naturally, Kayla and Kurt had devised a plan to trap Sel into going out with him.

"Actually, Sel, Kevin and I were going to go out tonight," Kayla announced, much to Kevin's surprise and pleasure. "So it's either we go to the movie together or sit in the apartment together."

"I guess...if there's nothing better to do."

The movie was ok, but Kayla was constantly distracted by the way Kevin was acting towards her. She knew she should've told him that this was only to get Sel and Kurt together, but she couldn't say that to him. It was a relief to her when they finally got back home and went to their separate apartments (as before, Kayla and Sel shared one and Kurt and Kevin shared another).

There was a message on the answering machine, and Sel went right to it. "No, I'll get it," said Kayla.

Sel gave Kayla a funny look. "Expecting a call?"

Kayla shrugged. "Kind of. You can go get ready for bed…"

"No, I want to hear this," said Sel.

"But if you go now, you can have the bathroom to yourself…"

Thankfully, that got Sel going. The girls always had some trouble sharing the bathroom. Kayla waited until she heard the bathroom door close before playing the message.

"Hi, this is Kenshin Himura, and I was calling about the job offer. I'll try calling again tomorrow. Bye."

_Kenshin Himura? What kind of name is _that? Kayla thought as she deleted the message. _Definitely foreign, and he had an accent, too…_

The next day, Kayla hurriedly got Sel out of the house, saying she didn't feel too good (Sel diagnosed it as morning sickness) and that maybe Sel and the guys could go out and do something, like go to the zoo. Sel rolled her eyes and said the zoo was for kids, but that's where she and the guys went. Kayla was relieved to see them go and immediately got of bed. The phone rang not long after Sel left, and Kayla answered it after the first ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Kenshin Himura…I was calling about that job?"

She told him where she lived and waited impatiently for him to show up. When he did, she was sorely disappointed. "Um…didn't you read the ad all the way through?" she asked immediately. The man was short (maybe an inch taller than her) and thin, and he was wearing the weirdest outfit she'd ever seen. He had white pants that were so baggy they looked like a skirt, a baggy magenta V-neck shirt, two-toed socks, and thongs. His red hair was very long and tied back in a ponytail, and his eyes were violet. He had a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek and a sword at his hip.

He smiled slightly. "That I did. Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," mumbled Kayla. Kenshin walked in, his sandals slapping the floor. "I'm Kayla, by the way."

"And I'm Kenshin Himura. I realize I'm probably not what you expected, but if you'll let me explain why I applied for this job…" He smiled again, and Kayla nodded for him to continue. "First of all, my speed more than makes up for my lack of strength, and being tall would make me slower. I'm more than willing to believe an unbelievable story because I have one to tell myself, and I've been a very effective bodyguard several times in the past."

Kayla looked skeptical. "Can I see your resume?"

Kenshin looked uncomfortable. "I don't have one. I have a very good reason for that, though."

"And what might that be?"

"Well…for starters, I died more than a century ago."

Kayla gaped at him. "Are you _crazy_?"

"Not that I know of, ma'am. I was born June 20, 1849 in Japan, and early on I became an assassin—but I gave that up," he added hurriedly, seeing the shocked look on Kayla's face. "I've been hired as a bodyguard numerous times before, as I've said. I use my sword and my speed to help protect people, and I can truthfully say I was the best swordsman of my time." He touched the hilt of his sword almost lovingly. "When I died…well, I'd heard the Gospel, as they call it, but I didn't believe…so when I died, I went to Hell. I've been there for over a century now, as I've said, and I took the time to watch the world's goings-on—you can take in so much information when you're dead and have nothing better to do. So that's how I learned English, and I kept up with the U.S.—an intriguing country, really—and then I got out somehow. Of Hell, I mean. I don't know how; the air ripped in front of me recently, and then I was here…in Bismarck." He shrugged. "I don't have money and I still look the way I did at the prime of my life…so I need a job, if only so I can get some decent clothes and a good haircut."

Kayla gaped at him. "You were in _Hell_? Why didn't I see you there?"

Kenshin stared at Kayla. "This one doesn't think he's the only crazy one. Am I to understand that you were in Hell also?"

Kayla shook her head. "This is _so_ weird…look, I actually believe you. I wouldn't if I hadn't had a certain recent experience… Well, sit down; now it's time for my unbelievable story."

They each took seats on the couch and Kenshin listened with rapt attention while Kayla told him what had happened to her in recent times. He was genuinely sympathetic toward her, and when she was through, he sat in thought for a few seconds before saying, "You know, I bet that Nils guy had something to do with me getting out. Maybe he accidentally opened another portal…"

Kayla nodded. "Well, anyway, back to the job thing. I suppose you can have it for now; nobody else has applied, and I doubt anybody else will. It's not common for people to have bodyguards unless they're rich or famous." She smirked a little. "Of which I am both—or rather, rich and infamous. But I think I should tell you right up front that I'm not interested in a relationship with you, or with anybody, for that matter. Otherwise, I would've been content with Kurt and Kevin around, but…well, they like me."

"That's fine," said Kenshin. "I would feel guilty…I was married before. Twice, actually."

On their way to the zoo, Selana convinced Kevin and Kurt to go to a bar instead. She knew that they would have more fun there, and so would she.

"I didn't know you _liked_ drinking, Sel," Kevin said as they ordered another round of beers.

She shrugged in reply. "It's _way_ better than the zoo. I'm sure San Diego's is better."

"You've been to San Diego?" Kurt asked.

"I've been to a lot of places that you don't know about," Selana answered, grinning.

Just then, Kevin spotted a pretty looking girl near the back of the bar. He _did_ still want a relationship with Kayla, but she didn't seem to want to get involved with anyone, and maybe if he spent his time with someone else, Kayla would get jealous. "Well," he said, getting up from the table, "I'm going to buy someone a drink...hopefully I won't be back too soon."

"I hope he comes back empty-handed," Sel muttered.

"What did you say? Are you jealous?" Kurt asked.

"No! I just wish bad things on him, is all..."

"That's jealousy, Selana."

"I'm _not_ jealous! It just makes me angry that he goes around trying to sleep with other girls when he says he's in love with Kayla! He's a womanizer, just like Nick," she said.

"You seem to be attracted to guys like that."

"Azazel's not like that," Selana said, glaring at Kurt.

"Maybe not what _you_ knew him as," he answered. "Look, Sel, you might have thought he was nice to you, but he just wanted to get in bed with you."

"I don't care! Whatever you say, it's not going to change how I feel."

"If I can't change anything, then what's the harm in going out with me?" he asked her, smiling.

"_Fine_. We'll go out tonight, but I'm _not_ going to like it," she answered angrily. "Look, Kev's coming back. Let's go back to the apartment...to make sure Kayla's okay."

The trio returned to their apartment complex shortly after noon. Sel let them into her and Kayla's apartment, where Kayla was busy making lunch and Kenshin was watching TV—or pretending to. His almond-shaped eyes were on the door before it opened, and he took a careful look at the three very confused people who came in. He smiled, recognizing them from what Kayla had told him about them. "Hi."

Sel gaped at him. "Kayla, who is _that_?"

"Kenshin Himura," said Kenshin.

"Let me rephrase that," said Sel, still not acknowledging Kenshin. "_What_ is he doing here?"

"Well, he's my new bodyguard." Kayla smiled a little. "And that's not beer I smell, is it?"

"What do you need a _bodyguard _for when you have me and Kevin?" asked Kurt, ignoring Kayla's question. "We can take care of you and Sel!"

Kayla shrugged. "But you're not around all the time. Anyway, who's hungry?"

Sel and Kurt, somewhat satisfied, sat down and started eating right away. Kevin, however, did not. "Um, Kayla? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Kayla led him to her bedroom and closed the door behind him. "I know, I know, he doesn't _look_ like he's fit for the job, but…I just want to feel safe, you know?"

"Why don't _I_ make you feel safe?" asked Kevin, slightly hurt.

Kayla paused before answering. "Well…to tell the truth, I'm kind of scared to get into a relationship with anyone. I _want_ somebody around me all the time to make me feel safe, but I _don't_ want somebody who's interested in a relationship with me. I've…kind of had bad experiences with those kind of people, you know…"

"Kayla…" Kevin put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not like them…"

"I know…but I'm still afraid…" She tensed when he pulled her into a hug, but forced herself to relax a bit. When he let her go, she took a step back and said, "I'm not ready yet…"

When they returned to the kitchen, Kenshin had already told Kurt and Sel about his past, and Kevin had to be filled in. Kayla got her food and sat down between Sel and Kenshin, away from Kevin. She ate quietly, and nobody seemed to notice her withdrawal—nobody except for Kevin and Kenshin. Sel and Kurt were too busy interrogating Kenshin and swapping stories with him.

"I don't want to go on this date!" Selana exclaimed later that night. Not long after lunch, Kayla and Sel had ushered Kevin and Kurt out of their apartment so they could be alone…with Kenshin there, of course. Kurt promised to pick Sel up at 7 as he left.

Kayla shrugged. "Well, then, don't go," she said simply.

"But if I don't go, then he'll keep asking me out, and I'm already sick of that!"

"That's it!" Kayla squealed. "If you tell him you're sick, then you don't have to go! And maybe he'll stop asking you out if you're not feeling well."

"No...then they wouldn't let you cook anymore because they would think it was food poisoning. And I like your cooking," Selana answered, smirking.

"Well, then you'll just have to go," she said. In a way, she wanted Selana to date Kurt, even if it didn't turn out, because she definitely didn't want Sel to keep her heart set on Azazel--that could mean trouble in the future.

Selana sighed. "I guess I'll have to. But I don't want to dress up for him, and I don't want to impress him, and I don't want to act nice," she said, looking through her closet to try and find something to wear.

Kayla rolled her eyes, kind of getting annoyed with Selana. "Then don't act nice! Just be yourself and maybe he won't like you anymore. I don't even know why you're my friend," she finished jokingly.

"You're right! Kurt and I are complete opposites, so there's no way we'll ever get along enough to be a couple. Thank you, Kayla!" Selana declared, giving her a quick hug just before heading into the bathroom with a dress in her hands.

That night, Kurt took Selana to Minerva's, a romantic Italian restaurant near the capital in Bismarck. Selana was determined not to have any fun. If she enjoyed herself, she might involuntarily consider going out with him again, and the only man she wanted in her thoughts was Azazel. She hoped that Kurt didn't possess the same irresistible charm that his father did.

"You're not having any fun, are you, Sel?" Kurt asked about halfway through their meal.

"I'll be frank. I'm bored as hell," she answered. "How could you tell?"

He smiled. "You try not to laugh, you hide your smiles, your vocabulary is suddenly limited to 'yes' and 'no'...it's pretty obvious."

"I'm sorry, Kurt, I just...I didn't even _want_ to come," Selana confessed.

"Why not?"

She sighed. "Look, I really _do_ like you...as a friend. I can't talk to Kevin anymore, and there are some things I'd rather not talk to Kayla about. I love talking to you, but I just don't want an intimate relationship...with _anyone_."

"Except Azazel," Kurt said coldly. "If you want _him_ so much, why don't you go back to the Caribbean for him?"

"I can't just up and leave you guys..." Selana said softly. She had been hoping that this wouldn't escalate into a fight, but maybe it was for the best.

"See? You _don't_ love him. Do you even _know_ why he wanted you? He seduced you just to get you pregnant. You only _think_ you're in love. My mother fell for him...that's how I was born." Hopefully _that_ might sway her.

"If it _isn't_ love, it's the closest I'll _ever_ get!" she hissed, struggling not to raise her voice. "And I'm not worried about getting pregnant; I've been taking birth control since I was fourteen. I take it with me everywhere."

"I can't _believe_ you won't--wait, _fourteen_?"

She blushed. "Eric raised me...and...living with him, I liked to rebel...anyway, it was only with Nick. But that's beside the point. Nothing you say about Azazel will change my views."

"Why can't you just give me a chance?" he pleaded. "After all, you're not with Azazel right now."

"First of all," Selana started, "we're complete opposites in every way. We'd never get along."

"That doesn't bother me," he replied, smiling. "'Opposites attract.'"

She bit her lip. "Secondly...I would...uh..."

"Yes?" he pressed.

"I'd...use you for...it would all be physical," she blurted out. "I'd use you for sex, and no matter what you do, I wouldn't fall in love." It wasn't the total truth, but the actual truth didn't seem to be a good enough excuse.

Kurt looked heartbroken, but didn't say a word. In a thick and rather awkward silence, they paid the bill and headed back to the apartments.

"What's bothering you?" asked Kenshin, hoping to break Kayla's long-running depression.

She shook her head. "Kevin's jealous of you." Then she changed the topic quickly. "Let's go shopping!"

Kayla dragged him to her favorite clothing store in the mall and made him try on tons of clothes before finally settling on one of everything. To tell the truth, Kenshin wasn't very comfortable in these new, Western-style clothes, but he figured he'd have to get over that. After paying for the clothes, Kayla made Kenshin go back and change into a pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a t-shirt (with his sword at his hip, of course). Their next stop was the barber, where Kenshin watched sorrowfully as his waist-length hair was cruelly chopped down to about one inch long. Kayla smiled when she saw his new haircut and chatted with the barber about what kind of shampoo and conditioner to get him. After she paid, she dragged him over to Bath and Body Works to get herself some new lotion and lip balm. Of course, while she was there, she couldn't help but get Kenshin some face wash and soap for his dry skin. After she paid, she got the weirdest look on her face, and she grabbed Kenshin and nearly dragged him down the mall to Target. To his surprise, she led him straight to the feminine hygiene section, where she skimmed over the shelves of pads and selected a couple large packages of them. She paid for them and went straight to the bathrooms, emerging a few minutes later with an opened package of pads.

Kenshin waited to speak until they were in the car driving back to the apartment, and then he asked, "I thought you said you were pregnant?"

Kayla remained silent for a few seconds. "I…I was."

She didn't have to say anymore.

When they got back to the apartment, Kayla dropped all of her shopping bags (of which there were many) and locked herself in her room. Sel, who was already back, looked at Kenshin strangely. "What's wrong with her?" Then she took in his new look and exclaimed, "Is that _you_?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Kayla insisted that I needed a makeover. And to your first question…she lost the baby."

Sel gasped. "Oh my gosh… Is…is that a good thing, or what?"

Kenshin shrugged again. "I don't know. I don't think she even knows."

Sel got up. "I…I'll go tell the guys. Maybe they'll think of something we can do to cheer her up…"

"Kenshin," Selana said before she left, "maybe you could try to talk to her...she might be more willing to talk to you since she doesn't know you that well." Before he could reply, she left. She couldn't help but be a little happy that there would be no baby in the picture, and because of that, she felt guilty. She didn't want to talk to Kayla herself because she knew she was being conceited, and she didn't want Kayla to figure that out.

The apartments were right next to each other, but Selana waited in the hallway before knocking on the door. She had no idea what to say or how to say it. Finally, she knocked on the door and Kevin answered.

"What do you want?" he asked.

She couldn't even make eye contact with him. "It's Kayla...she--"

"What? Is something wrong?" Kevin demanded, obviously concerned.

"Can I come in?"

"Did something happen to Kayla?"

Selana decided to let herself in, and sat at the table in the kitchen. Kurt was watching TV in the living room, but looked over with interest as she came in, and turned off the TV to listen.

"Kayla...she...lost the baby."

"Are you serious?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, and...she's not in the best mood right now, and I was thinking that you guys could go and talk to her," Selana said, hoping that they would leave.

Kevin sighed. "Well, let's go then."

"Aren't you coming, Sel?" Kurt asked as he headed towards the door.

"No, no...I'll just stay here for now."

"Are you sure? You're her best friend."

"Yeah. I'll come over later," she answered quickly. "You and Kevin should talk to her first."

Kenshin knocked hesitantly on Kayla's door. He had _no_ idea why _not_ knowing Kayla very well would make it easier to talk to her, but he'd rather try than just let her sit in there with whatever thoughts she might be having. She'd seemed depressed from the moment he met her, and this event certainly wouldn't help anything.

"Who is it?" called Kayla.

"Um…it's Kenshin," he called back. "Sel wanted me to talk to you."

A moment went by, and he was wondering if she had heard him when the door opened. She ushered him in, leaving her door open, and then sat down in a beanbag in the corner, next to a box of tissues and a trashcan. Kenshin didn't knowing what else to do, so he sat down cross-legged next to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he prompted.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know what to think or to do right now. I mean, I'm sort of happy that it's gone, because…well, you know… But then I feel guilty for thinking like that and…I don't know…I feel guilty, like I killed it or something…"

"But you didn't," said Kenshin quietly. "Nick did. You know that."

"Yeah, but…I…I almost think I _wanted_ it dead." She blew her nose and reached for another tissue.

"That's understandable in your situation."

"No, it's not!" she shouted. She began to sob uncontrollably—and then Kevin entered the room.

Kevin practically pushed Kenshin out of the way so he could sit next to Kayla, shooting Kenshin a dirty look. Kenshin took the cue to leave and met Kurt out in the main room.

"How is she?" asked Kurt.

Kenshin shook his head. "Confused. But she'll be fine, soon enough."

"I hope Kevin doesn't upset her…"

"How would he do that?" asked Kenshin.

"I don't know, but I get the feeling he'll say something and she'll take it the wrong way—"

Just then, they heard a shout and Kevin tumbled into the hallway, Kayla's door slamming behind him.

"Like that," sighed Kurt. He went over to Kevin. "What happened?"

Kevin stumbled up. "I don't know. I was just talking to her, and then—"

"What did you say?" asked Kenshin, coming up beside Kurt.

Kevin glared at Kenshin, but responded, "I told her not to worry about it, since it was Eric's kid and she wouldn't have wanted it anyway."

Kurt and Kenshin stared at Kevin. "You said _that_?" hissed Kurt.

"Yeah, why? What's wrong? It's the truth, isn't it?"

Kayla burst out of her room. "_No_, it's _not_, you hateful, mean, cruel, heartless…" She trailed off as she grabbed her suitcase and carried it back into her room.

"What are you doing?" asked Kenshin.

She rounded on him. "I'm _packing._ Nobody seems to like it here, so let's go somewhere else."

Kurt stepped up to her. "Kayla…I need to tell you something…"

"_What_? Whatever it is, you can say it here in front of them."

Kurt glanced at Kevin, cleared his throat, and then started: "Well, you see, I don't think Kevin really meant what he said—no, wait, let me finish. Sometimes, his tongue works faster than his brain, and he says stuff he hasn't thought through…"

"Hold on. Don't make excuses for me, Kurt. I _meant_ that. It's Eric kid, and it _deserved_ what it got."

Kayla slapped Kevin hard. "Don't you _ever_ say that again. That was _my_ kid, too, and when it comes right down to it, its parentage doesn't _matter_. What _matters_ is that it's a _baby_, a _person_, a _human being_, and it was by no fault of its own that it was conceived. _Got it_?" Kevin started to say something, but she slapped him again. "Nod or shake your head. It's not that hard." He nodded, afraid she might slap him again. "Good. Now you and Kurt might want to leave and start packing."

They both followed her orders meekly. She waited until they left before leaning against the wall and crying again. "I didn't _want_ to be that mean to him, but when he _said_ that…"

Kenshin gently peeled her hand from her suitcase. "I'll start packing for you. You should take a nap or something." She nodded, so he took her arm and led her to her bed, where she flopped down on the covers and buried her face in her pillow. She reached out one hand, searching for something. Kenshin set the box of tissues next to her, thinking that was what she wanted. But she pushed it away and reached out again, finding his hand and pressing it, just for a second. Then she let go and pulled her hand back underneath her pillow.

Kenshin headed out of her room to the living room, his emotions and thoughts a confused jumble. Nevertheless, he forced himself to concentrate and he valiantly started on the daunting task of packing his and Kayla's new clothes, of which there was plenty.

In a way, Selana felt the same as Kevin. She hated Eric with every fiber of her being, and she didn't want another miniature him running around. Sure, Kayla was the mother, but there was always a chance that the baby would be exactly like Eric. And she couldn't imagine helping to care for a child that had the same blonde hair, blue eyes, and cocky smile as the person she loathed.

Just then, Kevin and Kurt came back. "How did everything go?" Selana asked, seeing their expressions and fearing the worst.

"You should go back to your own apartment," Kevin said bitterly. "Kayla's packing...she wants to leave North Dakota." And with that, he disappeared into his bedroom.

"What's wrong with _him_?" Sel asked, confused.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "If he wouldn't have opened his mouth, nothing would _be_ wrong."

"What did he say?"

"That Kayla didn't want the baby anyway because it was Eric's...and of course, she didn't respond to that too well," he answered.

Now Sel felt guiltier than ever. She had to go back to the apartment, but she was afraid that Kayla would be able to tell what she was thinking. But there was no way to stall any longer, and she especially didn't want to talk to Kurt. "All right. Well, I'll go back and try to...ah, talk to her." She quickly left, but decided to stay in the hallway for a bit. Packing would be easy; she didn't have much.


	12. Chapter 12

Kenshin opened the door and spotted Sel immediately. "Selana! This one needs your help."

Sel sighed and came inside. "What do you need—where did all this come from?" she said, spotting several shopping bags and a stuffed suitcase.

Kenshin smiled sheepishly. "I'm Kayla's bodyguard, not her wallet-guard. She insisted that I needed all of this…and then she decided to get some stuff for herself. I'm afraid we'll need another suitcase or two."

"Oh…well, I'll go and get that for you," said Sel, glad to have an excuse to leave.

"Oh, and all of this is yours," said Kenshin, moving a couple of very full bags away from the rest. "Kayla was going to get some stuff for Kurt and Kevin, too, but then she had to go and get pads, and they were kind of forgotten…"

"Oh, how cute!" squealed Sel, pulling a blue top out. "Thanks!"

The group, now swollen to five members, disembarked in San Diego, California. All were in high spirits—until Kayla saw a new mother carrying her baby. Kayla looked away quickly, doing her best to hide her own pain. She'd always wanted to have a baby…

Now bored with apartment buildings, they all decided to buy a beach house. They had to stay at a hotel temporarily while all the paperwork and such was completed, and then a pretty white house with blue trim was theirs. Then came the difficulty of organizing who got which room… Kayla said immediately that Kenshin should have a room next to hers because he was being paid to stick around her, and although Kevin didn't approve of the idea, he didn't speak up. He did say, however, that he wanted to have a room next to her, too. Kayla, seeming to forget how angry she'd been with him previously, laughed and said no way. She, Sel, and Kenshin took the three bedrooms on the second floor, and Kevin and Kurt were left with the rooms on the third floor. They all dropped their suitcases in their respective rooms, donned their swimsuits, and met on the beach.

By the time Kayla and Selana had changed, all three men had already gone outside. Kayla was a little disappointed that Kenshin didn't wait for her--she _was_ paying him to be around her at all times--but they had all arranged to meet outside, so he was just following what they had decided. Selana and Kayla didn't see them at first, but they weren't hard to find. Not far from the beach house, a flock of girls was slowly forming around Kurt, Kevin and Kenshin. Kayla was convinced that it was because of the makeover she had given Kenshin--she thought she had done a pretty darn good job. On the other hand, Selana thought that the girls were after Kurt; she'd seen quite a few women flirting with him in North Dakota. Selana pushed a couple star-struck girls away and grabbed whichever of her friends was closest, which happened to be Kurt and Kevin. Kayla followed behind her, and Kenshin spotted Kayla and followed, too.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asked, pulling away from her.

"Sel, we were just having some fun," Kurt said, smirking. "Nothing to get angry about."

Her face burned with embarrassment. "It's just...well, you two are _always_ hanging around slutty girls, and I'd like it if we actually did something _together_ for once."

"We don't _always_--" Kevin started.

"_Slutty_ girls?" Kurt exclaimed.

"Let's go have lunch!" Kayla cut in, and headed towards a nearby cafe.

"Hold it!"

A blonde, bikini-clad girl stormed up to Sel. "You just called me and my friends sluts!" Her voice was so high-pitched it was almost squeaky, and her blue eyes flashed with anger.

"I wasn't specifically referring to you and your friends," said Sel, trying to calm the blonde down. "I was just saying that, in general, these guys seem to hang around slutty girls."

The blonde sniffed and stuck her perfect nose up in the air. "So what does that say about yourself?"

"_What_?" Sel shouted, and before anybody could react, she tackled the blonde.

It must be mentioned here that none of the guys did much of anything to stop the catfight. They were very much enjoying the sight of two girls in swimsuits clawing, biting, hitting, and kicking at each other in the sand. Well, give Kenshin some credit—he wanted to turn and walk away, but he had to stay because Kayla was staying. She and several of the other beach girls finally managed to separate Sel and the blonde, who were now covered in sand and scratches but otherwise unfazed.

"Let me go!" screamed Sel.

"I can take her!" screamed the blonde.

But, to the two combatants dismay, they were dragged apart from each other. Kayla enlisted the help of Kurt, Kevin, and Kenshin, and between them all they were able to carry Sel back to the beach house, where they dropped her unceremoniously on the floor.

"Why'd you have to do that?" asked Sel, getting up and brushing the sand off of herself.

"Why'd _you_ have to do _that_?" asked Kayla.

"She called me a _slut_! You heard her!"

"And she heard _you_, so the way I see it, you're even now."

Sel, muttering to herself, chose not to continue the argument and headed upstairs to her room. Kayla, sighing, headed to the kitchen and poured a glass of lemonade for herself.

"Why _did_ you do that, though?" Kurt asked jokingly. "We were having so much fun out there!"

Kayla gave him a disgusted look. "You pervert. Get your mind out of the gutter." Then, glancing at Kevin, she added, "Both of you."

"What about Kenshin?" asked Kevin, unable to keep a hint of jealousy out of his voice. "He was watching them, too."

Kayla shook her head. "Whatever." She paused, staring out of the window and off into space. "So, what are we going to do now? We can't go to the beach, and we have the whole day ahead of us. What now?"

Selana emerged from her room a few hours later, looking much happier than she had earlier. "I've got an idea," she announced, "Let's all go out to dinner, on me!"

"What's the occasion?" Kayla asked, a little amused by Sel's exuberance.

Selana shrugged. "Well, we're living in the beach house now...that's good enough!"

"But it's only two in the afternoon," Kevin objected.

"We'll just have to find something to do until we're hungry," Kurt said, smirking.

Later that night, they found a grill and bar that seemed suitable for their celebration. It seemed like a quiet place, but after dark fell, the place was packed. Even so, they still had their share of fun. Selana was particularly happy with how the night was turning out. She _did_ wish that Kayla would have let her keep fighting that dumb blonde, but she was in a better mood now, and Kevin and Kurt _had_ been enjoying the fighting too much.

Suddenly, she saw a flash of black hair; deep blue eyes; and a charming, confident smile. She blinked in shock, but when she looked again, she didn't see anyone matching the description. She almost panicked, but something in her knew that Nick couldn't possibly be here.

"Are you all right, Selana?" Kurt asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Uh, yeah," she answered, forcing a smile. "I'm just...a little dizzy, that's it. I must be drinking too much. I think I'll go back to the house and rest." No need to tell them that she thought she had seen Nick. She was just being paranoid. Everyone seemed to like it in California, anyway, and if she told them, they might want to leave just to be safe.

"Do you want someone to come with you?" Kayla asked, looking concerned.

Selana stood up. "No, I'll manage. I don't want to stop you from having any fun."

"You can't leave me with these guys!" cried Kayla jokingly.

Kurt feigned a pained expression. "I'm hurt! You make it sound as if we're dangerous!"

Kayla laughed. "How do I know you're not?"

While the playful banter continued, Sel slipped off unnoticed.

Kayla and the guys came home an hour or so after Sel. Kurt and Kevin were definitely a bit tipsy and had trouble walking up the straight sidewalk to the house, to the amusement of all involved. Kenshin spotted Sel's face in the upstairs window, smiling as she watched Kurt and Kevin stumble along. He told Kayla, and she giggled. "I knew Sel wouldn't have gone to bed this early." She waved up at Sel as she opened the mailbox.

"What are you doing?" laughed Kenshin. "We just moved in; we can't _possibly _have mail yet!"

"Wrong!" said Kayla, waving an envelope in his face. "And it's not for you, either! Remember, we're the only ones who even know you exist!" She laughed and ran up the front walk, pushing past Kurt and Kevin and 'accidentally' knocking them over.

Kenshin, caught up in the moment, laughed and chased after Kayla. As he'd stated when she first hired him, he was fast, and despite her head start, he caught her before she reached the doorknob. "Gotcha!" He grabbed her and spun her around, both of them laughing and out of breath, and before he knew what had happened, he'd kissed her.

He pulled back quickly, his face turning red. Kayla was just as surprised as he was, and they stood there staring at each other for a few seconds. "I, um… Sorry…about that… I…um… I don't know what came over me…"

Kurt, who had finally managed to get back up, threw his arm around Kenshin's shoulder. "Wha' happened? Wha' I miss?" he slurred, breathing alcohol.

"Hey, wha' 'bou' my kiss?" asked Kevin, thankfully too drunk to be jealous. "I wanna kiss!"

Kayla started to argue, "I don't—"

Kurt picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "She can' open the door, Kev! She's a lady, an' we gotta treat her like one!"

"Ri' you are!" agreed Kevin, fumbling with the door. He finally managed to open it, and stepped back with a bow. Due to his drunken state, he fell over just as Kurt started to walk through the door. Kurt tripped and fell down, taking Kayla with him.

"I didn' know you liked me like tha'," Kurt said, finding himself on top of Kayla, his head even with her hips. Thankfully, Kenshin intervened at that point and, stepping over two drunken bodies, he grabbed Kayla by the arms and pulled her out from underneath Kurt. "Hey, wha' you think you're doin'?" asked Kurt, starting to get up. His drunkenness overcame him, however, and he slumped back down to the floor, unconscious.

About this time, Kenshin realized that he was still holding Kayla, and he was also holding her very close to him. Flushing for the second time that night, he released her. "I should, um… I should get those two in here…" He didn't wait for her to respond, but set to work dragging first Kurt, and then Kevin (who had also passed out) into the living room and closing the door behind them.

Not surprisingly, Selana was the first person awake. It was pretty early, even for her, and she didn't want to wake up everyone else (they would probably all wake up late and have hangovers when they did). So Sel decided to eat breakfast and go outside to sunbathe while she waited for the others to get up. As she went out to the beach, she thought about Kenshin and Kayla. She'd seen the kiss that Kenshin had laid on her friend, and she had to admit, they _did_ look cute together. Unfortunately, she was probably the only one who remembered it because everyone else had come home wasted, but she could still try seeing if Kayla or Kenshin remembered. Selana thought it was kind of weird; she'd always thought that Kayla and Kevin would get together because it was completely obvious that he was nuts about her, but she'd never thought that Kayla would fall for someone like Kenshin. But, of course, it _was_ Kenshin who had kissed Kayla. But even from the second floor, Kayla had looked like she'd enjoyed it.

Because she was lost in her thoughts, Selana was more than surprised when someone put an arm around her. "Kurt!" she exclaimed, glaring at him. "What are _you _doing awake at this hour?"

"_Please_ don't yell at me, Sel, I have a headache," he said, but was still smirking.

"Maybe if you wouldn't drink so much," she mumbled, then added more loudly, "You should be inside, sleeping it off."

"I _was_ going to, but I saw you outside, and I find it much more relaxing to be around you. Want to go on a walk with me?"

She rolled her eyes, but didn't object. "Fine. I was going to do that anyways. Um...do you happen to remember any...intimate moments between Kenshin and Kayla last night?"

"No. What happened?" he asked.

"Uh...nothing," Selana said, relieved. If Kurt didn't remember, Kevin probably didn't either, thank God.

"Aw, come on! Tell me!"

"No!" she squealed, and raced into the water.

Kurt started to follow her, but stopped. "This isn't fair!" he called after her. "You have your _verdammt_ swimsuit on!"

"Who cares?" she yelled back, laughing. "Come and get me and I'll tell you what happened."

Kayla's alarm clock blared the radio at decibels that should never be heard by human ears at ten o'clock, only to be rudely smothered by her pillow shortly after. Now that it's volume was down to just 'excessively loud', Kayla reached underneath the pillow and fumbled with the alarm clock a bit until it finally turned off. She wanted to go back to bed, very badly, even though she didn't have a hangover—she and Kenshin had chosen to abstain from alcohol for the rest of their lives, and seeing Kurt and Kevin's foolish behavior only reinforced that position. Still, she was tired, and she definitely didn't want to face any of the guys. Nevertheless, with a reluctant sigh, she heaved herself out of bed and headed toward the closet.

She was pleasantly surprised to find breakfast already prepared for her, but unpleasantly surprised to find that it was Kenshin who'd made it. Avoiding eye contact with him, she sat down and ate quickly. Kenshin was the one who finally broke the awkward silence. "Sel and Kurt went out together, and I found this on the counter." He waved an envelope in the air.

"Give me that!" said Kayla, forgetting her mixed feelings about Kenshin and her embarrassment as she launched herself around the table towards him.

He laughed and danced out of her way. "It's a very interesting read, I must say…"

"You _read_ it?" she asked, chasing him upstairs. "You—give it here!"

"You gotta come get it!" he said, evading her and dashing up another set of stairs.

"Kenshin!" she wailed, chasing after him. She finally cornered him at the end of the hall on the 3rd floor, panting but triumphant. "Gotcha!"

"What are you doing?"

Kenshin and Kayla turned to see Kevin, still in his pajamas (a.k.a. boxers), standing in his doorway watching them. "Uh…um…" Kenshin stammered, trying to come up with something.

Kayla took the opportunity to snatch the letter from Kenshin's hand. "I got it!" She stepped back, in case Kenshin started chasing her, and glanced at the envelope. "Hey, this isn't even open! You were lying about reading it!"

Kenshin smiled impishly. "Yeah, well…"

"What's that?" asked Kevin, since nobody seemed to be answering his first question.

"Um…well, it's a letter, from…um… There's not a return address…" Kayla said, puzzled. She slit the envelope open and pulled out a small piece of paper. It took her just a few seconds to read it and turn visibly paler.

"What's it say?" ventured Kenshin, concerned. Kayla passed the note to him; he read it and wordlessly passed it to Kevin.

"That—why can't he just give _up_?" Kevin raged, his face turning red. Kayla didn't answer, but took the note back and shoved it in the envelope.

"Kenshin, where did Sel and Kurt go?" she asked quietly.

"Sel was in her swimsuit, so I'm guessing the beach," he answered, shrugging.

"Could you go get them? And Kevin, could you—" she paused, looking him over and blushing. "Could you put some clothes on?"

"Put me _down_!" Selana shrieked, laughing. Kurt had grabbed her around the waist from behind. She hadn't expected him to actually come in the water, but he had taken off his shirt and teleported to her to catch her.

"Not until you tell me what happened," he answered, also laughing. He still had a headache, but being with Sel like this was worth it.

"No! I'll never tell. You cheated!"

"Cheated?" Kurt let her go, but grabbed her arm so she wouldn't run again. "I didn't cheat."

"Yes you did! You teleported."

"_Now_ you're just changing the rules," he said, smirking.

"I guess I am," she said softly, moving closer. Her face was just inches away from his. "If you want me to _show_ you what Kenny did, then I might--"

"Am I interrupting something?" Kenshin was standing on shore, looking uncomfortable.

Selana quickly backed away from Kurt, blushing. "No, you're not interrupting anything. What's up?"

He relaxed a little, but still seemed rather tense. "Kayla got a letter...from Eric."

"What?" Kurt and Selana exclaimed simultaneously.

"Before you ask any more questions," Kenshin said slowly, "we should go inside, where we all can discuss it."

"Good idea," Kurt replied and teleported Selana inside.

Kayla jumped at the loud _bamf_ that accompanied Kurt's teleport, but gave a weak smile when she realized it was just Kurt and Sel. "This is it," she said quietly, handing Kurt the note. He read it and handed it to Sel, who gasped.

"Then…it _was_ him…"

"What? Do you know something about either one of them?" asked Kevin sharply from his self-assigned position next to Kayla.

"I…I saw…Nick at the bar last night…that's why I left…I thought I was just being paranoid…" She exchanged worried glances with Kayla and looked to Kevin to see what he would say. Needless to say, recent events had driven his temper over the edge.

"And you didn't _tell_ us?" he shouted at her.

"Stop it!" yelled Kayla. "This is _no_ time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves. We all thought that the X-Men safely held Eric and Nick captive. If _you_ thought you saw one of them while _you_ were drinking, you wouldn't have told us, either."

Kevin snapped his mouth shut at Kayla's rebuke, but his eyes flashed darkly.

"So they know where we are. What do we do?" Kenshin said. Everybody turned to look at him, startled. None of them remembered him entering, but there he was, standing in the corner. Then they turned back to Kayla, waiting for an answer, since she seemed to be the boss.

"I…I don't know," she said, uncomfortable under their scrutiny. "We could try moving again…out of the country, maybe…"

"No!" said Sel. "I like it here, and they'll find us no matter what!"

"She's right," said Kurt. "We can't keep running. We have to stand and fight at some point."

Kayla shrugged. "Yeah…you're right, I suppose. But we definitely cannot split up. We have to be together at all times."

"Even sleeping?" joked Kurt, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, for everybody except for Kevin. He might not remember what had transpired between Kenshin and Kayla the night before, but he _did_ know they were becoming very friendly with each other. Then he spotted Kayla glance at Kenshin and blush, and his scowl deepened even further.

"I think we'll be fine sleeping. Unless you'd all prefer sleeping in the same room, but in _different_ beds," she said, smiling.

Kevin spoke up then. "Not a chance. I can hear Kurt snoring through the wall at night; I don't think I could stand being in the same room as him." He allowed himself a brief grin as Kurt pretended to take offense.

"What? _Nein_, _mein freund_, you are speaking of yourself. You're the first person I've ever known to wake yourself by snoring."

Sel laughed. "Well, that settles it, then. We'll be fine sleeping. But nobody can leave the house by themselves or anything. If we must split up, we go in twos or threes."

For the next few days, everyone was paranoid and skittish. None of them slept much, and they didn't leave the house unless they absolutely had to. Selana had gotten a gun from one of her suitcases. She hadn't thought about any of her weapons since they'd left the Caribbean, but now she carried at least her gun with her everywhere. She was sure that Kevin and Kayla did the same, they were probably just not as obvious about it.

Selana was seriously considering leaving all her friends, just to get somewhere safer, somewhere where Eric and Nick wouldn't dare go. Sure, she loved all of her friends, but she would do anything to get away from Eric. She knew that all Eric was interested in was Kayla, and if she left, it wouldn't change a thing. As a matter of fact, even though she was sure that Nick was no longer interested in her, if she left she might just be able to get Nick to follow her, which would just help Kayla out.

Kayla had left before when Kevin and Sel had thought they should stick together. Why was this any different? But every time Selana decided that she would leave, by the time she started to pack she felt too guilty to leave. So one early morning when she simply couldn't sleep, she decided to pack all of her things, so if she was sure she was leaving again, she wouldn't have time to let guilt creep up on her. It was probably a good thing to do anyway, just in case they decided to leave as a group.

"What are you doing?"

She was scared nearly half to death, though had enough sense to reach for her gun. But when she looked up, it was only Kayla. She let out a sigh of relief. "You should knock, you know. Especially now," Selana scolded. "What are you doing up this early?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Kayla answered. "I couldn't sleep. Why are you packing?"

"Just in case we decide to leave," Sel answered quickly. "You should do the same thing...you never know, we may have to leave really suddenly."

"Good idea," Kayla said with a smile, but she knew that Sel was lying. She was being way too jumpy to be telling the truth, and she had visibly relaxed when Kayla accepted her excuse. But she would ask her about it later. "I'm going to go make breakfast," Kayla announced and left the room.

Selana sighed in relief again, glad that Kayla had left. She knew that she felt way too guilty around her friends, and if she were actually going to leave, she'd have to do it in the middle of the night, or when they were all doing something else. Then she realized that if she was going by herself, she couldn't possibly carry all her suitcases...she would only be able to take one or two. That meant she had to unpack everything and put all of her favorite possessions in only a few suitcases. Groaning in frustration, she started to take out all her clothes and sort them in piles according to what she liked most.

Kayla made breakfast for everybody, ate her own share, and then sat down in front of the TV as the food got cold. Sel was leaving, Kevin and Kenshin were subtly fighting over Kayla, and Kurt was getting closer and closer to Sel. Kayla wouldn't be surprised if he caught wind of Sel leaving and went with her. In fact, Kayla would probably suggest that he go with Sel—she shouldn't be out by herself, not with Nick on the loose. Then the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kayla."

Kayla slammed the phone down before Eric could say anything more.

"Who was that?" asked Kenshin as he and Sel came downstairs. He took in Kayla's pale face and his jaw tightened as he hurried over to her.

Sel realized who it must've been, too, and her eyes widened. "He actually _called_?"

The phone rang again, and all three stared at it, wondering what to do. Finally, on the fourth ring, Kayla picked it up. "Hello?" she said again, hoping against hope that it wasn't Eric again.

It was. "Hi again. You're not going to hang up on me this time, are you?"

"It depends. What do you want?" asked Kayla, trying to keep the tremor from her voice.

Eric laughed. "Can't a guy call a girl just to talk to her?"

"Not you."

"Ah, you're still as stubborn and independent as ever. Well, I just wanted to apologize to you for letting Nick escape. I didn't want to, but alas, I had to have his help so that I could also escape."

"And why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm still angry at him for hurting you. I would never do that to you. I love you."

Kayla didn't respond. She didn't know what to say or what to do—should she hang up now?

"You look so pretty sitting there…and with any luck, in a few days I won't have to watch you through your window."

Kayla did hang up then, and she turned quickly to look outside.  
"What did he say?" asked Sel.

Kayla, searching the landscape outside, couldn't find him. "He said he could see me…through the window…"

Kenshin and Sel joined in her at the window, to no avail. When Kurt and Kevin woke up, the three were hurrying around the house, pulling blinds and curtains down in front of every window.

"What happened?" Kevin demanded, instantly realizing that it was something bad.

"Eric called Kayla...and he's watching us," Selana growled, pulling the blinds on the last window.

"Is Kayla all right?"

"Yeah," Selana answered sarcastically. "We're _all_ fine." Could he _only_ think about Kayla?

They all sat down at the table while Kurt and Kevin ate breakfast. No one said much; there was nothing to say. Finally Kayla broke the silence.

"We shouldn't leave the house at _all_ anymore...we're safest here, where we're all together." She wasn't only saying it for everyone's benefit; she hoped that Selana would take what she said to heart, and not consider leaving anymore. "If we split up, they might pick us off one by one. We're strongest as a group. _All_ of us," she finished, making a point to look at Sel.

Guilt showed plainly on Selana's face, but none of the others noticed. "What'll we do for food?" Kevin asked.

"We can order take-out all the time," Kurt suggested.

"That wouldn't work," Selana said. "They could come to the door and we'd think it's the delivery boy." She was definitely sick of waiting around so much. Kurt had said that they had to stay and fight sometime, but this just wasn't the time. Not when they were trapped inside their own home and had no options. She was convinced that their best bet was to leave; they could fight Eric and Nick when they were better prepared. She was frustrated that she was the only one that could see this, and decided then that she was going to leave.

"There are five of us and two of them," Kenshin stated. "I think we can take them, Kayla."

"How do we know they didn't hire anybody?" asked Kevin, looking pointedly at Kenshin.

Kenshin shrugged. "We don't. But I'm fairly certain they didn't; they haven't in the past. They've made alliances with various others, but the biggest group you had to deal with numbered four. And that, as you recall, was a very weak alliance, broken as soon as Kurt agreed to make a deal."

Now everybody was looking at Kenshin funny. They hadn't known he was so observant or tactically skilled; he looked like he was in his element.

"So…what do we do?" asked Kurt.

Kenshin smiled. "We go swimming."

It took some convincing, but finally the quintet donned their swimsuits and hit the beach. Kenshin assured them that as long as they didn't stray too far, they'd be safe, and besides, they needed to release their stress somehow. He was right; the group nearly forgot about their problems while they were playing in the waves. Meanwhile, Kenshin kept an eye out for Eric and Nick. There were a few guys who took a shine to Kayla and Sel (from a distance, of course), but none of the group recognized them as Nick or Eric. Still, the girls were wary and stuck close to Kurt and Kevin, giving Kenshin the opportunity to scout out the area.

Eric had said he was watching Kayla through the window. There were several other beach houses around, one of which Eric and Nick had undoubtedly rented or bought. There was only one on the living room window's side of the house, however, and Kenshin narrowed their hiding place to that one.

Kayla splashed Kenshin. "What are you staring at?" she asked, smiling.

Kenshin smiled at her. "A beautiful woman who looks too dry." He splashed her back. This lead to a sort of splash tag, and before long all were involved in the game. When they retired from the beach, they were all soaking wet and deliriously happy.

"Sel, didn't you remember to lock the door?" laughed Kurt as he turned the doorknob to the beach house.

It was then that they noticed that Sel was missing. Inside, they found a note from her saying good-bye.

"I knew it!" said Kayla, hugging her towel around her shoulders. "I knew she was planning on running away…"

"Why would she do that?" asked Kurt. "And why didn't you tell anybody?"

Kayla shrugged, biting her lip and looking down at the floor. "I didn't think she'd seriously go through with it…"

"Do you know where she went?" asked Kevin.

Kayla shook her head.

"Well, I'm going to go find her," said Kurt. "Nick and Eric might've seen her leave; they might've gotten her by now." Before anybody could protest, he'd teleported away.


	13. Chapter 13

Selana had actually left long before her friends found her note. She was almost positive that Kenshin had seen her go, but he didn't stop her so she wasn't worried. She'd caught a cab to the airport, but with traffic, it took longer than she'd expected. Nonetheless, she arrived and went to check in her luggage.

"I bought a ticket online," she said, smiling, to the employee helping her. She handed him a printout stub in return for a ticket.

He took the stub and returned a few moments later with her ticket. "A one-way ticket to the Caribbean. Going on vacation?"

She took her ticket and grinned. "Something like that." She picked up her carry-on bag and hurried towards security. She guessed that she had only 10 minutes until they started boarding. Finally, she was getting away from Eric. Hopefully, for good.

"Selana! Wait!"

She turned to the familiar voice when she heard her name. She frowned when she saw who it was. "Kurt? What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm not letting you leave," he said determinedly and reached out to take her arm. She backed away, looking angry.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed, "You'll just teleport me away. I _want_ to go, and you _can't_ stop me from doing what I want."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"No way!" Selana protested. "You don't even know where I'm going."

"I'll find out, then." Kurt snatched the ticket out of her hand and quickly read it before she could protest. "The Caribbean? You're going back to Azazel," he said sadly.

"Yes," she sighed. "I feel safer with him."

He looked heartbroken. "You don't feel safe with me?"

"I just...Nick and Eric wouldn't dare come after me there, even if they wanted to, and if I stayed here, I would feel like I'm getting in the way of everything. I mean, Eric and Nick only want Kayla, and what can _I_ do to protect her? I'd only be in the way," she said, feeling like she needed an excuse for leaving.

"I'm still coming with you."

"No you aren't!" Sel objected again. "You can't! Last I checked, you didn't have a very good father-son relationship with Azazel. He'd just as soon kill you as look at you. And you can't leave Kevin and Kenshin alone to help Kayla. They're both nuts over her; they'll be too busy trying to impress her or be jealous over her to worry about Eric or Nick." She paused for a moment, and then added softly, "If you really care about me, you'll let me go where I'm safest and happiest."

In an excruciating silence, Kurt thought over her words. She was right about everything. He couldn't go with her and expect to change her mind--or live, for that matter--and Kayla needed the help. Even though he didn't think Kenshin was one to get jealous, Kevin was obviously more than resentful towards Kenshin, and with him acting like that, he wasn't much help. Not only that, but she probably needed someone around who _wasn't_ interested in sleeping with her. And though he hated the though of his father with Selana, Azazel had never harmed her, and he really seemed to care about her...maybe it was best that she stayed with him. For now.

"All right," he finally said, handing her back the ticket. "But I want you to know that after everything with Eric and Nick is settled, _I will come get you_. I don't trust Azazel, and I don't think you should, either."  
She smiled radiantly, gave him a quick hug, and practically ran towards security. As he watched her leave, he couldn't believe that he'd just let her go.

When Kurt teleported back to the beach house, the others had changed out of their swimsuits and were sitting in silence in the living room. Kayla looked up hopefully at the loud _bamf_, but sighed when she saw Kurt alone. "Where's Sel?"

Kurt shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"Is she ok?" asked Kayla, concerned.

"No. She's crazy, that's what she is."

"So where'd she go, then?" repeated Kenshin.

Kurt sighed. "Azazel. She wants to get away from Eric, and she figured that he'll never come to Hell looking for her."

"And you _let_ her go there?" asked Kevin, frowning as usual.

"What was I supposed to do? I can't trust you, I'm not sure if I can trust Kenshin, and Kayla's definitely in trouble now. We'll have to go back for her later."

"What do you mean, you can't trust me?" asked Kevin. "You know me!"

"Yeah, I know you, and I know you hate Kenshin!"

Kevin didn't respond. A long silence followed that, and it was Kenshin who finally broke it.

"I can understand you not trusting me, Kurt," he started. "And I can also see why Kevin would dislike me… But now is not the time or the place for us to be questioning each other, especially when I think I know where Eric and Nick are hiding out."

"You know where they are?" asked Kurt, astonished.

"I knew it!" said Kevin, anger building. "You were working for them all along!" He stood up and stalked over to Kenshin, reaching for the collar of Kenshin's shirt. As he took hold of it, Kenshin jabbed the handle of his sword into Kevin's groin, effectively incapacitating him for the moment.

"No, I'm afraid your suspicions are unfounded. I suggested we go swimming so I could scope out the area and figure out where they are. They could've very easily moved in next door without us knowing about it, and I think that's exactly what they did." As Kevin stumbled up, he added, "Sorry about that…"

"I get what you're saying. So if they're there, let's go confront them now," said Kurt.

"All of us?" asked Kayla, her stomach fluttering nervously.

"Not if you don't want to go," said Kurt quickly. "Maybe it'd be best of you stayed here."

"By myself?"

Kurt, Kevin, and Kenshin exchanged glances. If Kurt stayed, Kenshin and Kevin might start fighting each other. If Kenshin stayed, Kevin would get very angry. But as for Kevin…

"I'll stay," Kevin volunteered. "You two can go on over there and take care of them."

Kayla let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I didn't want to have to come with." She gave a weak smile to Kurt and Kenshin. "Good luck."

Because the Caribbean had mostly the same climate year-round, and was always a tourist attraction, Selana thought it looked exactly the same as it had when she'd been there last. The only difference was that she'd come alone. It almost reminded her of all the times Eric would send her off to do something for him that he didn't feel like doing himself, or that he thought she was better equipped for. But this time, she was anxious to see whom she had come for. She'd been quite bored and lonely on the flight; she was used to goofing around with Kurt, Kayla, or Kevin while they were going someplace new. But I won't be alone much longer, Selana thought as she got off the plane.

Azazel was eagerly waiting for Selana to return. He knew she was near—he _always_ knew where she was—and assumed that Eric had upheld his part of the bargain. It was simple. In return for helping Eric and Nick escape from the X-men and telling them where Kayla and Selana were, Eric had agreed to bring Selana—willing or not—to him. He'd grown impatient waiting for Eric, and was relieved that he'd finally brought Selana back to him. He would have rather gotten her himself, but leaving his dimension wasn't as easy as it had been. It required a lot of energy, and magic, to open a portal.

But now, it was worth it. It had been much too long since he'd seen Selana. He still held a grudge against Eric for betraying him and forcing Sel to leave him, but it was necessary to form an alliance again in order to get her back.

He saw her get off the plane, and wondered where Eric was. But in the next moment, he didn't care. Though she was dressed simply in shorts and a low-cut top, she looked gorgeous to him. He made his way towards her, and before she could say anything, he pulled her into a kiss. When he finally let go of her, he asked, "Where's Eric?"

Her smile quickly turned into a frown. "_What_?"

"Kayla, we need to talk," said Kevin immediately after Kurt and Kenshin left. He sat down on the couch next to her, casually tossing his arm around her shoulders. "About us."

"Um…Kevin…" She scooted away from him nervously. "Look, I know you're jealous of Kenshin and everything, but we've _tried_ before, and… Well, you know, it didn't work out so well for us. So why try again?"

"Because the only thing that broke us up was your sister's kidnappers trying to kill you. If you hadn't disappeared, we could've worked it out…"

Kayla shook her head. "I… I don't know, Kevin. I just… I hate to say this to you, but I'm more interested in Kenshin than you."

"But you said you hired him to protect you but still remain unattached to you emotionally, right?" said Kevin impatiently.

"Yeah, I said that… But he's not that kind of guy. And I don't think I ever really wanted that…"

Kevin sighed, thinking. Finally he turned back to Kayla and put an arm around her. "Just give me a chance," he pleaded, curling a tendril of her hair around his finger.

Kayla opened her mouth, but shut it again. She shrugged and looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "I… Maybe. Maybe you're right. I don't know. I'm so confused right now."

Kevin grinned and hugged her. "I'll take a 'maybe' over a 'no' any day. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go the bathroom, and I think you could use the time alone to think." He stood up and walked away.

A half hour passed and Kevin hadn't returned. Kayla, wondering what he was doing, called his name. He didn't respond. She tried again, louder, with the same result. A cold feeling sunk into her stomach, and she bolted for the door.

"Going somewhere?" asked an all-too familiar voice, and then all was black.

Kurt and Kenshin were just leaving the house next door when Kevin ran out the door. He spotted them and hurried over. "They got her," he gasped. "They were in the house. They knocked me out and took her!"

Kurt and Kenshin exchanged glances and ran back to the beach house. They'd searched the suspect house and found nothing; this was definitely why. With Kevin tailing behind them, they burst into the house and searched it from top to bottom. The windows on the backside of the first floor were wide open, with a note on the windowsill.

_Thanks for the gift; I won't be returning it. —Eric_

Just then, a blonde man drove away. The trio didn't take a moment to consider any of this, but leaped out of the window and ran straight to their car. Of course, in their hurry, they forgot the keys, and Kurt had to waste precious time teleporting back inside to find them. By this time, the newly blonde haired Nick had gotten a good head start on them, and Eric and Kayla were already on a plane to the Caribbean.

"Let me get this straight," Selana growled, "You wanted Eric to _kidnap_ Kayla and me and bring me to you. Is that right?"

"Well, I don't really care about _Kayla_, but, basically, yes," Azazel answered. He'd told her everything, hoping she'd understand, or just not care. But of course, she did care, and she had an awfully short temper, so she was on a rampage all too soon. And anything he said just seemed to make her angrier.

"You really thought he'd do that?" she asked, furious. Her face was flushed in anger, and her eyes were blazing with fire. "Eric would rather kill me than just kidnap me. And after he took me _away_ from you before, how could you trust him?"

At least she was still on his side. She was just angry, but not necessarily with him. "Look, Selana, does it really matter what I planned? You're here, that's all _I_ care about. Do we have to fight?" He smiled as she seemed to relax.

She sighed. "I'd think that you'd _like_ to argue," she said sarcastically, but there was no more venom in her voice.

His smile grew wider. "Not when there are better things to do," he said, knowing she couldn't resist.

She smirked and replied, "I think I know what you have in mind."

Kayla woke up with a dull ache in the back of her head, which throbbed when she moved. She forced herself to think, painful as it was, until she remembered what had happened. Then her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright, staring around at her surroundings.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

Eric was sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. The room they were in had no windows and no distinguishing marks, and so as Kayla slid away from Eric, she had to ask, "Where are we?"

Eric smiled. "You don't need to know that. Lay back down; Dramamine always makes you _so _drowsy."

She stared at him. "What? Dramamine? What are you talking about? I haven't woken up since you knocked me out!"

Eric smirked. "Sorry about that. But, yes, you have woken up before. I couldn't very well carry you onto the plane with me, now could I?"

"A…a plane?" Kayla asked, bewildered. "You drugged me!"

Eric laughed. "A little bit, yes. The effects should be wearing off now, giving us plenty of time to…talk…" He pulled her over towards him.

"Let go of me!" she shouted, struggling against his grip. He was much stronger than she remembered him being… He laughed and held her tightly against his now well-muscled chest for a moment before letting her go.

"I've been working out, as you can tell," he said. "But I've been wondering… Shouldn't you be showing now?"

"Showing?" asked Kayla, confused. Then she realized he was referring to her pregnancy. "Oh, no… You can thank Nick for my miscarriage," she said bitterly.

"Ah. Such a pity," Eric commented, clearly thinking otherwise. "Well, on to my second question. Who was that red-headed guy that was with you and the others?"

Kayla stared at him. "You don't know?"

Eric shook his head. "If I did, I wouldn't be asking, now would I?"

A slow smile spread across Kayla's face. "We'll keep it that way, unless you plan on telling me where I am."

Eric smirked. "Not a chance. I'll find out about that guy whether you help me or not." He glanced at his watch and stood up. "I'll be back soon with breakfast." Then he left, locking the door behind him.

He went straight to the dining room, with the intention of asking Azazel to keep Kayla safe while he went to find Sel. He was pleasantly surprised to find Sel with Azazel, eating breakfast. "Hello, sister."

Sel almost choked on what she was eating. "What is _he_ doing here?" she asked Azazel, pointing at Eric as if he were a dog she didn't want.

"Good question," answered Azazel. "What _are_ you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to tell you that I'd traced Sel to the Caribbean before I lost her," said Eric, thinking quickly and lying easily. "I see my information is of no use to you anymore. If you'll excuse me, I must be leaving…"

"No! Wait! Stop him!" said Sel. "He'll go after Kayla!"

"Calm down, love," said Azazel soothingly. "I'll speak with him." He excused himself and followed Eric down the hall a short way.

"I have Kayla," whispered Eric before Azazel could say anything. "I was going to leave her here while I went to fetch Sel for you, but that won't be necessary anymore. But, if you will, don't let Sel know that Kayla's here. Let her think I left. Ok?"

Azazel sighed. "That will be difficult, but I'll do it. Kayla doesn't know where she is, does she?"

"No," laughed Eric quietly. "She has no idea, and I intend to keep it that way. As far as she's concerned, she's in an unknown place with me and nobody else. Got it?"

Azazel nodded. "What about Kurt and Kevin?"

"Nick will soon discover that I was using him as a distraction. He doesn't know where I went, though, and they should have trouble finding us. There's another guy, too. I don't know anything about him other than he's a red-head."

Azazel glanced down the hallway toward the dining room. "I should go. I've been gone too long. Do you need anything else?"

"Yes. Have a servant come bring breakfast for two to my room," Eric smirked.


	14. Chapter 14

"So, what did Eric say?" Selana inquired once Azazel returned.

"Don't worry, darling, he's gone. He won't be coming back, I guarantee it," Azazel said smoothly, smiling at her.

She didn't look satisfied. "But won't he just go after Kayla? And it doesn't seem right that he'd stop worrying about Kayla _just_ to see where I was…that's not like him at all."

"I talked to him," he insisted, "He doesn't even know where Kayla is. They moved." But she still looked unconvinced and thoughtful, so he added, "Don't think about it, Selana. Eric's gone, and your friends are safe."

"I guess you're right," she said, but she was frowning. "But it doesn't add up."

"Like I said, don't worry about it. Anyways," he said with a smirk, "I know that you would rather be doing something else right now."

She smiled in reply as they started down the hall

Nick had been in numerous car chases before—this was nothing to him. He could easily get away from Kurt, Kevin, and Kenshin, but he had to lead them on for a while, at least, so Eric could get away with Kayla. But when he thought about it…Eric had never told him what to do _after_ he got rid of Kurt, Kevin, and Kenshin. He hadn't even told him where he was taking Kayla…had he been tricked? Growing angry, Nick slowed down to the speed limit and pulled into the closest parking lot. If Eric were going to push him out of the picture, he'd just have to get back at him in the only way he could think of.

Kevin, Kurt, and Kenshin had all noticed that there was only one person in the car, but they weren't suspicious—Eric could have easily tied Kayla up and put her in the backseat, or in the trunk. It was when he slowed down that they started to suspect something. By the time they had parked next to him, they all knew it was Nick.

"Where is Kayla?" Kevin demanded instantly. He got out of the car and pulled Nick out of his, looking ready to kill him.

"I don't know," Nick answered truthfully, pushing Kevin away from him. But that wasn't good enough for Kevin. He punched Nick square in the jaw, sending him sprawling on the pavement.

"Kevin, stop!" Kurt shouted, holding Kevin back. "Let's hear what he has to say before we resort to violence."

"Thanks," Nick said, rubbing his jaw and standing up. "Like I said, I don't _know_ where they are. Eric tricked me. I was the distraction, and he took Kayla without telling me where to go. I want to get back at him."

"I don't believe him!" Kevin growled, glaring daggers at Nick. "He's going to lead us into a trap, and then we'll never be able to save Kayla…"

"I believe him," Kenshin stated. "Eric would probably have a better plan than _this_, and Nick already said that he doesn't know where they are, so he can't lead us into any traps. I think we should trust him."

"You're siding with _him_? He's the b that beat Kayla! And you _trust_ him?"

"I believe him, too," Kurt admitted. "And if we _don't_ get his help, then we have no idea where to look for Kayla. Our only choice is to trust him."

"I can't believe this," Kevin muttered, rolling his eyes. "Am I the _only_ one who's sane?"

Kenshin smiled at Kevin sympathetically. "I see where you're coming from," he started. "But if you want to help Kayla, first you've got to find out where she is. And we can't very well do that by ourselves, can we?"

Kevin's look shot daggers at Kenshin, but he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "So, where is she?"

Nick shook his head. "I _told_ you already, I don't _know_. I don't know why I ever fell for Eric's lies in the first place."

Kurt shrugged. "You've got me there. But I know somebody who might know… We've got to go find Sel."

"What? While Eric has Kayla? We can't waste that kind of time!" spouted Kevin.

"But Sel knows Eric better than any of us. Maybe she knows where he'd take Kayla. And besides, we've got to make sure she's ok."

Nick looked a little confused. "Isn't Sel with you guys?"

Kurt sighed. "She went back to Azazel."

"Or maybe she just _said_ she was going back to Azazel, but she was really going somewhere else. Ever thought of that?" asked Kevin.

Kurt laughed. "I read her plane ticket, Kev. She went to the Caribbean. And I'm going there, too. Anybody with me?"

"I am," volunteered Nick immediately.

Kevin sneered at Nick. "You can't be trusted."

"No, but if Kurt keeps a wary eye about himself, he'll be just fine," commented Kenshin.

"So you're not going with them?" asked Kevin.

Kenshin shook his head. "I have a duty to my employer," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "Or at least, that's what I tell myself. In reality, it might be that I don't feel like returning to Hell anytime soon; a century was long enough for me. But we're wasting precious time here talking."

"You're right," said Kurt. "Nick, let's go."

Kevin and Kenshin watched Nick and Kurt drive off. "So," said Kenshin. "What do we do now?"

Kevin sighed. "First, we've got to get back to the beach house. I don't know how long this'll take, and although I want to start looking for Kayla right away, we shouldn't leave unprepared. Besides, I need to get my laptop."

Kayla, sitting at the end of the bed, looked up when Eric walked in. "I was hoping you'd do what you did last time…and stay away until night."

Eric smiled as he walked over to sit down next to her. "Wouldn't that have been boring?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Kayla shrugged but didn't pull away—what was the point? "Yes, but I'm sure I could've found something to do."

"Like escaping? No, I don't think so, my love." He kissed her on the cheek as a knock sounded on the door. "Ah. That would be breakfast." He left her to open the door and usher in a servant laden with two trays of food. She set them on a table in the corner and left hurriedly, but Kayla didn't move. "Aren't you hungry?" asked Eric.

"Not really," is what came out of her mouth, but her stomach protested very loudly. "Well…maybe a little…" She sat down at the table and dished up as Eric did the same, but stopped just before taking her first bite. "It's not drugged, is it?"

Eric laughed. "Of course not! I like you as you are. That was just to make coming here easier."

"Speaking of which, where are we?" asked Kayla.

"I knew it," said Eric. "I knew you were just pretending to cooperate. You really think you can lull me into a false sense of security, do you?"

Kayla laughed weakly. "I hoped. But…there's no reason to be fighting against you; it won't accomplish anything. I'll just have to wait for my friends to find me, and they'll give you your just desserts."

"I'm sure," commented Eric, smiling. "But am I to understand that you intend to be agreeable towards me until then?" Kayla nodded silently, and his smiled widened. "Good. I'm sure this can't last forever, but when your friends come to kill me, I will die a happy man. How does it feel to know you've fulfilled a dying man's last request?"

"Sickening," said Kayla truthfully.

"You know," Nick said to Kurt after they got on the plane, "I'm going to _love_ getting back at Eric, but I still would like some sort of payment for my help."

"I knew it," Kurt replied, rolling his eyes. "What do you want? Money? Sel and Kayla have plenty of that."

Nick grinned. "I was thinking more along the lines of some time with Selana."

"No way," Kurt answered instantly, glaring at Nick.

"An answer that fast? It should be Sel's decision, anyway, not yours. And last I heard you liked Kayla. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I don't have to answer that," Kurt said stiffly.

Nick laughed. "I bet you want her for the same reason _I_ want her. And if that's the case, then you're making the right choice. She's _great_ in bed. Kayla just…doesn't get me in the mood. That's why I hit her."

Kurt was clenching his fists, trying to stop himself from decking Nick in front of so many people. "I don't want Selana for sex," he said through gritted teeth, "She's been used for that too much. By you, Kevin, Azazel…"

"All right," Nick said, still smirking. "We'll see who she decides. The sensitive guy, or the one who can pleasure her."

Several days passed. Eric, as before, brought Kayla books to read, games to play, etc. to keep her from dying of boredom, but she was staring off into space when Azazel entered her room. "Hello, Kayla."

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Sel?"

Azazel smiled as he locked the door behind him. "Well, I heard that Eric had gotten a hold of you, and I came to visit. Is that so bad?"

Kayla didn't look convinced. "How did you get out of Hell?" she asked, watching him warily as he crossed the room toward her.

He shrugged and smiled. "That's my little secret. Don't worry about Sel; she's safely awaiting my return to her. Isn't Eric around?"

"I think you know very well that he's not here. Isn't Sel enough for you?"

"Yes, she's more than enough. It's just that I can't help but notice what a large male following you've got, and I wonder why…" He reached out a hand to touch her, but she slapped it away.

"Don't touch me. I have enough trouble with Eric; I don't need the Devil to worry about, too," she said viciously.

Azazel grinned. "You're strong-willed, for one thing, and definitely not a bad looker. I wonder what else there is to you…"

Of course, by the time Eric returned, Azazel was long gone.

"Have you got anything yet?" asked Kenshin, his patience running thin. He and Kevin had been sitting in the beach house doing seemingly nothing for the past few days—Kevin claimed he was searching the Internet for information about where Eric might've gone. Kenshin didn't think he could stand this much longer; he couldn't help but think about what Kayla must be going through.

"Almost," said Kevin for what must've been the eleventh time that day. Kenshin sighed and went back to the TV, flicking through the channels like a robot. There was, as usual, nothing of interest on, not that he planned on actually watching anything. He had to find something to do…

"Hey! Watch it!" yelled Kevin as Kenshin's sword whizzed through the air just over Kevin's head.

Kenshin smiled, settling into a defensive stance. "If I'd wanted to kill you, I would've done it long ago. Don't worry, you're perfectly safe."

"I don't feel safe," muttered Kevin as he watched Kenshin move through various stances and steps, fighting an imaginary opponent. Kenshin moved with the grace of a cat, the speed of a serpent striking and then pulling itself back in, and the gleam of bloodlust in his eyes. Shaking his head, Kevin forced himself back to work. He had recently tapped into Eric's bank account; it was just a matter of time until he found Eric's transactions, including the purchase of plane tickets, gas for his car, or whatever other means of transportation he'd used.

"I've got it!" he shouted suddenly a few minutes later. Kenshin was so startled by this outburst that he nearly fell over.

"Got what?" he asked, righting himself and sheathing his sword. The murderous gleam faded and was replaced by Kenshin's usual calm, innocent look.

"He took her to the Caribbean. How he would've gotten her on the plane with him, I don't know…He probably threatened her or something. But…Oh my gosh… You don't think he's working with Azazel, do you?"

"It would appear that he is. Can you contact Kurt and Nick?"

Nick and Kurt had been trying for days to get into Azazel's dimension, but to no avail. It didn't help that they couldn't seem to agree on anything, down to which hotel to stay in. With patience and tempers running thin, both of them were ready to give up, until one day when they saw Eric on La Isla Des Demona.

"Do you think we should follow him? He could lead us to Kayla," Nick said.

"You better not have known about this," Kurt said, glaring at Nick. "No, I think we should make him tell us what's going on…and then make him open the portal."

"Good enough for me," Nick answered, but Kurt had already teleported.

The next thing Eric knew, he was on the ground. Then Kurt grabbed his shirt and hoisted him to his feet. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Eric saw Nick coming towards them, and expected to see Kevin and Kenshin, too, but didn't. With only two of them, it might be easier to lie his way out. "I was checking up on Selana," he said quickly, but smoothly. "You see, I was supposed to deliver her to Azazel after I retrieved Kayla, but she was gone before I got the chance to get Kayla. I tried to find where she went, but couldn't. I came here to tell Azazel that I had no luck, but she was here. I was just going back to my darling Kayla when you attacked me."

"All right," Kurt said, and Eric smiled. They bought it. "You're coming with us, though."

"What? Don't we just need him to open the portal?" Nick asked, glaring at Eric.

"You're more of an idiot than I thought you were," Eric sneered. "If you let me go, I'd just go back to Kayla." This was working out better than he'd planned. Now he could get back to Kayla with the help of her friends. "I'll tell you where Selana is, and I'll stall Azazel. I know for a fact that he's not with her right now. Then you can leave without having to worry about him."

Selana had just finished getting dressed when the door burst open. She turned around, expecting it to be Azazel, and was thoroughly surprised to see Kurt and Nick. "What are you doing here?"

"We're leaving," Kurt said quickly. "I _said_ I'd come to get you."

"I thought you forgot," Selana said, looking confused. "Since Kayla's okay and everything. What's Nick doing with you?"

Kurt quickly explained everything, while Nick added in his two cents when he thought it was necessary. After hearing everything, Selana sat down on the bed and buried her face in her hands.

"I feel so stupid! I never should have believed what Azazel said. I knew something wasn't right," Selana groaned.

"You can pity yourself later, Sel," Nick said. "We have to go _now_."

"No! We can't leave now. Azazel will be back any second!" Selana said, looking up at them worriedly.

"_That's_ why we have to leave _now_. So he doesn't catch us," Nick insisted.

"You don't get it! He's probably coming down the hall right now…you have to hide!"

"_Hide_? We don't have to, Sel. Eric's stalling for us," Kurt said.

She glared at him and said, "You trust _Eric_ to do something like that? You have to hide. Get in the closet, now!" She jumped up and ushered them into the closet.

"How long do we have to stay in here?" Nick asked.

Selana shrugged. "Until he leaves or until he falls asleep. Now be quiet!" She shut the closet door just as the bedroom door opened.

"Hello, Kayla," said Eric, sauntering into her room. "It's good to see you're dressed. We're leaving." He took her by the arm and led her to the door.

"Where are we going?" she asked, unresisting.

"Somewhere else," muttered Eric, peering up and down the hall—a hall Kayla recognized.

"We were in Hell all along? I should've known!"

"There'll be enough time for discussion later. Hurry up." Eric led her to the portal, where they stepped out onto La Isla Des Demona. Kayla looked around hopefully, Eric warily, and then they continued on to the shore, where a boat was waiting.

"Uh oh…" muttered Eric, and before Kayla could cry out, he slapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her back into the jungle with him. "Don't make a sound," he hissed, showing her his gun. "Or I'll shoot. Understand?"

Kayla nodded wide-eyed, realizing that Eric could shoot both Kenshin and Kevin before they even knew he was there. She and Eric waited silently while her two would-be rescuers disembarked and headed straight to the crater/portal. A minute or two after they left, Eric dragged Kayla with him down to the boat, where they sailed to the next island and an airport. They were on a plane to South America before Sel's rescue was complete.

"Don't look so down," said Eric, watching Kayla stare wistfully out the window. "I can take care of you better than any of them could."

Kayla shook her head. "I know about your alliance with Azazel," she said abruptly.

Eric laughed. "It wouldn't have been hard to figure out once you realized where we were."

"No, I'd guessed at it before then. While you were gone, he came to me."

"He _what_?" said Eric in a low voice. "What did he say? What did he do?"

"What do you _think_ he did?" asked Kayla, making eye contact with Eric.

"I _knew_ I couldn't trust him," muttered Eric.

"You can't trust most criminals," replied Kayla sarcastically.

Eric, catching the hidden meaning in her words, leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "You can trust _me_…"

Kayla didn't reply. She was staring out the window, searching for a silver lining on the clouds below.


	15. Chapter 15

"What took you so long, Azazel?" Selana asked, forcing a smile and hoping that Kurt and Nick would stay quiet.

"I went to see if Eric stayed away from Kayla," he said slowly, looking at her suspiciously. "What were you doing in the closet?"

"I was just rearranging some things. You startled me. Is Kayla all right?"

"Yes. Eric found someone to replace her."

She knew it was a lie, but she couldn't seem angry. Not yet. "Who?"

Azazel smirked. "Just some girl who looks like her. Probably a prostitute."

She had to find a way to get him to leave, and quickly. "Well, since you spent all morning looking for Eric…do you still have things to do around here?" she asked, hoping he did.

He shook his head. "I have all day to spend with you…"

Selana knew what he was implying, and decided to go with plan B. She'd never refused him before, and he'd get suspicious if she did now. She put her arms around his neck. "That's what I was hoping," she said softly and locked lips with him. He abruptly picked her up and got in bed with her.

In the closet, both Nick and Kurt were pressed against the door, trying to hear what was going on.

"Is she really going to do it with him?" Nick whispered.

"No…she wouldn't. She's just going to get him to leave…" Kurt whispered back, but he didn't sound that confident.

"_Or_ wait until he goes to sleep…that's what she said. They're going to do it!"

"Shut up!" Kurt hissed. "I'm trying to listen."

Selana was doing her best to act as if Kurt and Nick _weren't_ in the closet, and that he _hadn't_ lied to her just to keep her there, but it was harder than she thought. She wished that there was some way to stall him, but she couldn't think of any that weren't suspicious…she could only hope that Kurt didn't get too jealous and blow their cover.

Azazel slowly took her shirt off, not wanting to go anywhere too quickly, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She couldn't help but be a little aroused as his kisses became more passionate.

"This is torture," Kurt whispered to Nick.

"I know what you mean," answered Nick angrily. "I think I know how she felt when _I_ cheated on _her_. Except she never sat in the closet and listened…"

Kurt didn't answer. Instead, he threw open the door and glared at Azazel. Thankfully, he only had his shirt off, and Selana was still wearing her lingerie. "I'm sick of listening to this. It's not worth avoiding Azazel for this. Come on, Selana, we're leaving."

Kenshin and Kevin burst into the room just then. Kevin flushed furiously, seeing Azazel on top of Sel, but Kenshin leapt into action. Before the shocked Azazel could react, Kenshin's sword was at his neck. "Get up."

"Kenshin—" Kurt started, but with a resounding _bamf_, Azazel had disappeared.

Kenshin lowered his sword, but didn't sheathe it. His eyes narrowed, he took in everybody. "Sel, get dressed. Where's Kayla?"

"She's not here. Eric said he was keeping her somewhere else," said Nick.

"Eric lied," snapped Kenshin. "Where is he now?"

Kurt and Nick exchanged worried glances. "He was supposed to stall Azazel," said Kurt finally.

Sel, finally realizing that they weren't exactly going to give her any privacy, started pulling on her clothes right in front of the guys. "I can't believe you would even believe him in the first place!" she muttered.

Kenshin glanced at Sel, and as the hard look faded from his eyes, his cheeks flushed. He turned away quickly. "We might still be able to catch Eric. I'll find you guys later." Then he ran off, towards the portal.

It was very difficult for him to focus on his task, after seeing Sel like that. But he forced himself to concentrate and sped off to the shore and the boat. He came screeching to a halt there… The boat was gone. He should've known! When he and Kevin arrived at the island, he'd thought he'd seen something move in the jungle, but he'd thought it was just a bird… Cursing, he ran back to the portal to relay the bad news to the others.

He heard something behind him, and a split second later, he'd been knocked down to the ground. He stood up quickly, hand on the hilt of his sword. Another _bamf _sounded right behind him, and he ducked low to avoid Azazel's fist. At the same time, he turned and drew his sword, hitting Azazel in the side. He heard a satisfying 'crack' that could only have been Azazel's ribs, and then he was standing over Azazel.

"You should be thankful I have a reversed-blade sword," he stated, placing a foot on Azazel's chest. "Else you'd be in two bloody pieces now."

Azazel groaned, an ugly bruise forming on his side. "Why _don't_ you kill me now?"

Kenshin grinned and sheathed his sword. "This one is an assassin no more. Tell me where Eric took Kayla."

"How should I know?" moaned Azazel. "All I know is that I was spending some quality time with her, and then I went back to Sel, and Kurt and Nick jumped out of my closet."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed to slits. "'Quality time'?"

"You _b_!" shouted Sel as she and the guys walked onto the scene. "Not only were you lying to me, you were cheating on me, too! Kenshin, kill him!"

Kenshin smiled sadly. "As much as I might want to, I won't."

"But—"

"Then I'll kill him," said Kurt angrily. He stormed over just as Kenshin let his foot off of Azazel, and with another _bamf_, Azazel was gone.

"Why'd you do that?" shouted Nick.

Kenshin, ignoring him, turned and headed toward the shore. "Eric and Kayla are gone, as is our means of transportation. Unless you plan on swimming, we should send Kurt over to get us another boat."

"Why don't you just teleport all of us?" asked Kevin of Kurt.

Kurt laughed. "Yeah, right. Maybe one at a time—"

"Then do it," said Kenshin sharply. "We're wasting time."

"Welcome to Costa Rica," said Eric as he led Kayla off the plane. "Your new home."

"For how long?" she asked quietly, not really expecting him to hear her.

"It depends on how soon your friends track us down. Cheer up, it could be worse. I could be Nick or Azazel." He actually looked genuinely concerned; Kayla hadn't smiled for a long time.

She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. If you were one of them, I wouldn't be so confused about my feelings."

"So you _do_ like me!" Eric said triumphantly, beaming.

"I don't know…I hate you, but then you _are_ relatively nice to me, and…" She shrugged again, struggling for words. "I don't know."

"Well, indecision is better than a solid hatefulness," said Eric, accidentally reminding her of the last conversation she'd had with Kevin. _I'll take a 'maybe' over a 'no' any day…_

Kurt did as Kenshin demanded, teleporting them one at a time to the nearest island, where the airport was. He saved Selana for last, because she weighed the least and thus was easiest to teleport, and he knew that after teleporting Kenshin and Kevin he'd be tired enough.

"Are you all right?" Selana asked worriedly when he teleported back to get her.

He smiled at her. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"You look a lot more than just a little tired," she said, frowning.

"I'm just…out of practice," he replied. "I haven't done anything like this in awhile."

Selana sighed, still concerned. "And I'm sure Kenshin would get mad if I wanted you to rest for a bit. We should go."

"Um…before we leave," Kurt started, suddenly acting nervous. "Since we're alone…I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?"

"Well…I'm sure you must have something planned…but when you were with Azazel…I couldn't stand it."

"That's it?" said Selana, smiling. "I was going to thank you for that."

"_Thank_ me, _liebchen_? I assumed you'd be angry."

"Well, as much as I hate to be walked in on, I was wishing that you or Nick would," she admitted, beaming at him. "I really didn't want to be with Azazel after you two told me that he lied just to keep me in his bed. I don't like admitting I was wrong…but you were totally right about him, Kurt. I shouldn't have trusted him like I did. I guess no boyfriend of mine will ever be honest with me."

"Selana, _I_ would be honest with you," Kurt stated sincerely.

She looked at the ground. "We should go. We're wasting time; Kenshin will be angry as it is. He's either _really_ worried about Kayla, or crazy." She saw his half-hearted smile, and took his hand in hers, smiling a little. "But I'd like to talk about this later."

Kurt returned the smile and teleported.

The group of five went in to the airport, and Kenshin instantly started interrogating the first employee he saw. She was a pretty brunette, who was obviously flustered with Kenshin's questioning.

"Did you see a blonde-haired man with a brown-haired woman come in here?"

"Well, sir, I've seen a lot of people today—"

"They came in not more than an hour ago. The woman would have seemed sad, maybe even angry," Kenshin pressed.

"Now that you mention it," the brunette said, "I did see a couple like that. The girl that was with him was gorgeous, but she did seem upset. I thought that maybe they just had an argument—"

"Did they get tickets? Where did they go?" Kenshin demanded, cutting her off.

"Well, I can't tell you that, sir, I'm sorry."

Selana gently pushed Kenshin aside and smiled at the brunette. "Excuse my partner, miss, he can get pretty emotional about some of our cases, but we really need that information. We're all with the F.B.I. Missing persons. We think that the blonde man, Eric, might have kidnapped the woman."

The woman's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Can I see your I.D.?"

All four guys thought that they were caught, and were surprised when Selana actually took out her wallet and showed the brunette her I.D. "I'll get that information right away," the employee said, leading them over to the luggage check and looking at the computer. "All right. An Eric Quinn bought two tickets to Costa Rica."

"Thank you," Selana said with a relieved smile. "We'll need five tickets for the next flight there."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can do that. The flight might be booked—"

Selana smiled in a way Kurt and Kenshin had rarely seen. "Would it help if I gave you my phone number?"

The brunette smiled back—not a courtesy smile, but one that almost matched Selana's. "I'll get you those tickets."

"Um…Selana…I have a question," Nick said uneasily. They were all on the plane now. Selana was sitting in between Kurt and Nick. Nick had insisted that he get a window seat, but Kurt knew that he really just wanted to sit next to Selana. Kevin and Kenshin were in the row right behind them.

"Okay, what is it?" Selana asked, but she could guess what it was already. Kenshin and Kevin were leaning in close, wanting to hear what was going on.

"Uh…how did you…um, pass off as an F.B.I. agent?"

Selana got out her wallet, smiling. "Fake I.D.," she said, showing it to him. "Eric made it a long time ago…I guess it still works. I saw that you weren't having much luck with that brunette, so I switched it with my normal one and butt in." She saw that the rest of the guys were interested, too, so she showed her fake identification to them, too.

"I have another question," Nick said. "How did you know that girl was…um…"

"A lesbian?" Selana asked, as if it was completely normal. Now all four men were eager to hear her answer. "Well, the biggest hint was that when we walked in, instead of looking at the four handsome men with me, she was checking _me_ out. Another clue was that when she said she saw Eric and Kayla, she called Kayla 'gorgeous'. I don't normally call other girls that. Maybe 'cute' or 'pretty', but never 'gorgeous'."

The men, all satisfied with her answer, settled back into their seats as the flight attendant started to go over safety precautions.

For once, Eric wasn't sure of what to do. He had Kayla, he was rich, and he should've been happy, but he wasn't. He was confused. On the one hand, he'd just found out that Kayla actually liked him a little bit, and he reasoned from that information that keeping her longer would make her forget about her past and like him more. On the other hand, for reasons unknown to him, he was starting to feel sorry for her. She was very sweet, very innocent, and very vulnerable, and for the first time in his life, he was actually feeling guilty about taking advantage of somebody with those qualities. Watching her stare out of the window of their (or, rather, his) new apartment, he couldn't help but notice how sad she looked…like a caged bird. Guilt was eating at his insides, and having never experienced guilt before, he didn't know how to handle it.

Kayla, for her part, had no idea what sort of effect she was having on Eric. All she knew was that hope was fading with the setting sun, and a deep depression was settling in its place. But Costa Rica was beautiful… A little bird of a sort she'd never seen alighted on the window. It pecked around a bit, and then peered through the glass at her. Chirping and ruffling its feathers a bit, it set about hopping around in its search for food. She smiled, watching its antics, and with much relief forgot about her current situation and focused on the bird.

"Get ready," hissed Kenshin, although his words weren't necessary. Everybody was tensely waiting for him to open Eric's apartment door. Sel had already picked the lock, and now Kenshin pushed it open.

Sunlight was already streaming into the room, although the sun had barely risen. There were no suitcases in the room, but a couple of shopping bags leaned against the wall in a corner. There was only one person in the bed. The quintet of rescuers scanned the area quickly and closed the door behind them. All of them were confused—where was Eric?

Since nobody else made a move, Kevin stepped up to the bed to wake up Kayla. She was sleeping peacefully, her auburn hair tousled and shining in the sunlight. He was suddenly reminded of the story of Sleeping Beauty. A tap on his shoulder stirred him from his reverie.

"Are you going to stare at her forever? Move it," said Sel. He stepped aside, a little reluctantly, and Sel shook Kayla on the shoulder. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

Kayla rolled over and yawned. "Not yet," she muttered sleepily. "It's too early…"

Sel rolled her eyes. "Kayla, wake up!"

Kayla's eyes snapped open and she sat up immediately, holding the covers in front of her. She stared wide-eyed at everybody, with most of them staring wide-eyed at her ('most of them' excluding Sel). "Um…hi," she said hesitantly. She let go of the covers with one hand, using it to rub her eyes. "Am I dreaming?"

"I hope not," said Kevin stupidly, staring at Kayla's bare shoulders and back.

Sel turned and slapped him. "Snap out of it! We're not here to gawk; surely you guys have seen naked women before!"

Kayla blushed and pulled the covers more tightly about herself, so only her face showed. "Where're my clothes?"

"Right here," said Kenshin, standing on the opposite side of the bed from Sel and Kevin. He reached down and picked up a bra. "Although I can't say I know what this is…"

"It's a bra," said Sel flatly, grabbing for it.

"Oro?" said Kenshin, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. He dropped the bra and jumped back from it like it was a cobra. "Um…this one will be leaving now," he said sheepishly, his face a bright red. He dashed out of the room like his pants were on fire.

Sel cleared her throat impatiently, and the other guys followed suit. "Stupid, perverted, idiotic…"

"Don't you know what a bra is?" asked Kurt when the four guys were all in the hallway and the door was closed behind them.

Kenshin shook his head solemnly. "In my time, women would use bandages to wrap about themselves."

"Weird…" said Nick.

"Never mind _that_. Did you happen to see what size that was?" put in Kevin with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Oro?" asked Kenshin, completely clueless.

"It's on a white tag inside the bra," explained Kurt.

"Oh…that. Yeah, I saw it."

"What was it?" clamored the guys.

"Why do you want to know?" asked Kenshin, suddenly becoming very suspicious of his friends.

The three guys exchanged glances. None of them had a really good excuse… Kevin saved them. "For Christmas shopping, in case I want to get her something _special_…"

"Yeah, just in case," added Kurt.

Kenshin eyed them warily, but relented. "36B."

Nick laughed. "I've seen bigger on teenagers."

"Yes, but those teenagers are stooped or have back problems because of the weight they have to carry," defended Kevin.

"That's the perfect size—not too big, not too small. Just right," agreed Kurt.

Kayla and Sel stepped out of the room just then, and the guys fell silent. All eyes were on Kayla—and not her face, either. "What?" she asked, not following their gazes. "What's wrong?"

Sel rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you what's wrong—they're disgusting, perverted, one-minded, dirty men! C'mon, ya'll, move it, before Eric changes his mind!"

"Changes his mind? What do you mean?" asked Kenshin.

"He left a note," explained Kayla. "Something along the lines of he was starting to feel guilty, and he didn't know what to do, so he decided to give me up."

"Eric said _that_? No way," said Nick, grabbing the note from Kayla. He read it and shook his head. "I don't believe it…"

"And I don't believe my friends would team up with _you_," said Kayla curtly, snatching the note back from him.

Nick smirked at her. "And why shouldn't they? If Eric can give you up, I can be trusted. Right?"

Sel broke into the fight and pulled Kayla away. "Kayla," she whispered into Kayla's ear. "He's not going to be around for long. We're going to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"Can we lose him before we even get out of this building?" whispered Kayla.

Sel glanced back at Nick. "Maybe. I'll see. Just forget he's here, ok?"

Kayla nodded and moved on ahead to join her bodyguard and her (possible) boyfriend. "When we get back home, I need to have a talk with you two," she told them. They glanced at each other, but nodded. Kayla then headed back to Kurt and Sel. "Oh, and Kurt, could you carry these?" With a sweet smiled, she handed him the shopping bags and hurried back up to Kenshin and Kevin before Kurt could protest.

"Are you coming, Sel?" Kurt asked as he started to follow Kayla, Kenshin, and Kevin.

"No, not yet; I'll catch up. I'm going to talk to Nick about something," Selana said. Kurt hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to leave Sel alone with Nick, but if it was what she wanted…

"I wanted to talk to you, too," Nick said, beaming at her.

She smiled back. "Good! You talk first, then."

Nick waited until he was sure that the others were out of hearing range, and then started, "I _knew_ you'd come around again, Sel, I just knew it. I missed you _so_ much, and I'm sure you missed me."

She backed away from him a little, frowning. "Nick, this really isn't—"

"Isn't this what you want, Sel?" Nick asked, getting closer as she inched away. "I want to get back together with you…"

"No, Nick, I don't want this. I wanted to talk about Kayla." She had backed up as far as she could; she was against the wall now.

"Kayla? Look, what I did to her…I'm sorry about it. Eric had a change of heart…why can't I? I _love_ you, Sel," he said almost desperately, then slid an arm around her waist and kissed her.

As Kurt walked down the hall, he could hear Nick and Selana's voices, but couldn't make out the words. When they suddenly stopped talking, he glanced back, just to make sure everything was okay, and did a double take. They were kissing, and it didn't look forced. Actually, Selana looked like she loved it. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and his were around her waist…Kurt looked away. He had thought that she might _finally_ like him, but maybe he was wrong.

Nick finally pulled away, smirking, but still held on to her. "So? What do you say?"

"Nick…" she started and gently pushed him away. "I'm not interested in someone like you anymore. I didn't want to talk about that, in the first place." She watched his expression darken, and decided to plunge right into it. "Kayla and I want you to leave. You make Kayla uncomfortable, probably because of what you did to her, and I certainly am not comfortable having you around. I thought maybe if I talked to you one-on-one, you'd listen to what I have to say."

"So that's what this is about," Nick said coldly, and backed away from her. "You hate me."

"No, it's not like that. I don't even think you really love me. If you stopped following me around, you might be able to find someone you _do_ love. And if you can't…just look me up and I'll see if I want to give you another chance."

When Selana finally came out of the apartment complex, everyone looked impatient with her.

"What took you so long?" Kevin said. "We should leave before Eric changes his mind and comes back."

"Where's Nick, Selana?" Kurt asked coldly, and everyone was surprised by his tone. But Selana answered, anyways.

"He decided to leave," she said, smiling at Kayla. "I gave him some money, and he went out a different way. I don't think he'll be a problem anymore. So, are we going back to San Diego, or what?"


End file.
